Chelsea may have picked up their first point in Premier League play since March 4 with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool, but it is little consolation to the Blues as their chances of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League continue to dim – even as a bonus sixth spot becomes closer to a reality.

The Blues currently sit in ninth place thanks to their poor run of form, despite sitting level on points with the Reds in early March. They entered the weekend nine points behind fifth-place Aston Villa with three games to go, a win at Anfield the only way they could mathematically begin the comeback. Fifth place now eludes them, but the Champions League is technically still within their sights – but it will depend on a lot of favors, and for them to actually pick up their form with two games to go.

A special set of circumstances could see a sixth Premier League team enter the Champions League next season, but Chelsea have to dig themselves out of their own mess first. Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford all entered the weekend ahead of the Blues and though just three points separated the four teams before this round of matches began, one of them just might be more likely to reach Europe’s top club competition than two-time winners Chelsea.

How the Premier League’s sixth-place team could qualify for the Champions League

The Premier League was guaranteed to have four teams in next season’s edition of the Champions League, but in the new Swiss style format introduced in the 2024-25 season, a bonus berth each is available to the two countries atop UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings. The rankings are determined by the performance of those countries’ clubs in European competitions each season and are currently led by England and Italy, the Premier League bolstered by the fact that all six of this season’s participants advanced to the knockouts and that Arsenal will take part in the final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30.

That’s how the Premier League earned a fifth spot, though it is one that many expected for England’s top flight, and seems likely to go to Aston Villa at this point. There’s a unique quirk in this whole scenario, though — Villa are off to the UEFA Europa League final on May 20, where they play Freiburg in a competition where winners take home a well-earned European trophy and a Champions League berth.

This is where things get tricky. It’s a well established rule that winning the Europa League only generates an extra spot for the team that wins it. So, for example, if you win the Europa League and win your domestic league, congratulations, you’ve qualified twice for the Champions League, but nobody else gets the benefit. Your league wouldn’t expand from four to five spots (or five to six). That’s not the same as the extra Champions League spot leagues win for performance in the Champions League though. That’s just always tacked on at the end.

So here’s what that means for England if we follow the bouncing ball. If Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish fourth in the Premier League, then they’ve qualified for the Champions League twice, to nobody else’s benefit. Then, the extra Champions League spot from the coefficient ranking goes to the fifth-place team in England. However, if Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth in the Premier League, then the top four in England qualify, Aston Villa qualify via solely the Europa League, and then the coefficient spot gets awarded, meaning the sixth place team in England goes to the Champions League. Simple.

This is a noticeably more complicated scenario than last season, though the same operation is at play, more or less. Six Premier League teams reached the Champions League because Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League, the top four qualified, and then the bonus spot went to the first team that hadn’t already qualified, which was the fifth-place finisher.

Who’s in the running for sixth?

Chelsea are still mathematically able to finish sixth, but their late-season slump has really put a dent in their chances of reaching the Champions League. Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford all entered the weekend above the Blues and will stay there for another week regardless of their own results because Chelsea’s draw at Liverpool was not enough to lift them out of ninth, even temporarily. Everton are also mathematically in the hunt, depending on how results fall.

Much of it will come down to the final weeks of the season. The Premier League title race — or whatever is left of it — will run through this race, with challengers Manchester City to face Brentford and Bournemouth during that stretch. The same is true for the relegation race, with Spurs hoping to stay safe in an upcoming battle against Chelsea, while Nottingham Forest hope to have secured safety from the drop before the final day against Bournemouth.

Could Chelsea miss out on Europe altogether?

There is a very real possibility that Chelsea will sit out of European competition completely next season. Only the top seven are guaranteed continental play next season — currently, the sixth-place team will qualify for the Europa League’s league phase and the seventh-place side will enter the final qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. If a sixth Champions League spot comes into play, expect the Europa League berth to land at seventh place and the Conference League berth to fall to the eighth-place team. That would mean whoever sits in ninth would miss out entirely.

Chelsea do have one more option available to them, though — they will play Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 16 and if they win, they will qualify for the Europa League.

If Arne Slot has not realised already, then he needs to realise very quickly that the Anfield crowd demands energy and a certain intensity from its side.

Far too often at home this season, Liverpool have lacked a spark – something that the crowd can feed off – and kill the opposition off when they take the lead.

When they went in front early against a Chelsea side that had lost their last six Premier League games, Slot’s side should have used that as the moment to dominate the match and secure an important win.

Instead, they allowed Calum McFarlane’s out-of-form side a way back into the game.

“The adjustment we made at half-time helped us be the more dominant team in the second half. We were twice close,” claimed Slot.

“So it is not fair to me to say I ever tell my players to back off and not press. If it did look like that, it was never the intention,” he added.

Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser for Chelsea means Liverpool have now dropped nine points from winning positions in Premier League home games this season, their most at Anfield since 2015-16, when Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers as the manager.

“Our identity is intensity” was the phrase coined by Pep Lijnders when he was Liverpool‘s assistant manager under Klopp.

Slot’s brief was always to do things his own way and never to be like Klopp but his side has lacked any identity this season and have next to no intensity.

“I thought Liverpool actually started quite well, got the goal, and then from there Chelsea were the better team. They caused Liverpool big problems, especially Marc Cucurella running behind,” said Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day.

“The crowd were obviously a bit edgy, which you very rarely get from Liverpool fans. It comes from not having the season they hoped for, and after spending a lot of money,” added Rooney.

Not for the first time this season, there were loud boos at full-time even though Liverpool had not lost the game. Discontent online is one thing, but it is becoming clearer that even the match-going fans are getting frustrated.

“That’s probably got something to do with us not winning, ” Slot told TNT Sports. “It completely makes sense people are disappointed if Liverpool don’t win.”

Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch added: “To be honest, we need them behind us. OK we didn’t win, but I don’t really think we deserved this [reaction].

“The fans have to be behind us for the full 90 minutes because when they were behind us in the second half, we were pressing really well. We need them. Hopefully they wouldn’t do it again in the next two games.”

Asked later in his post-match press conference how the boos felt, Slot struggled to find the right words in English, but said: “I would love to show them [the fans] something else but at this moment we are not able to.

“We are able to be a dominant team and have more of the ball and I want to give them much more to be positive about and happy about and I am 100% sure the team wants the same.”

Manchester United are back in the Champions League next season but on the evidence of their draw at Sunderland they don’t have the squad to challenge on two fronts.

If this was a taster of what could have happened to Manchester United had Michael Carrick not been able to pick a pretty settled team for the past four months, then the head coach will be counting his blessings tonight.

Carrick found a winning formula early on in his interim role and rarely had to change the ingredients too much, but a couple of injuries and a desire to freshen things up saw him change almost half the team at Sunderland. The response was a performance in keeping with the weather.

We’re at the time of the season when teams can be on the beach. United have achieved their objective for the season and could be forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal. There is a beach less than a mile from the Stadium of Light, but this wasn’t a day for building sandcastles.

Click here to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter

The temperature barely crept above zero and it would have been pretty frosty in that away dressing room at full-time. Carrick has already done enough to land this job beyond the end of the season, but a veteran of the Sir Alex Ferguson era who cut his teeth coaching under Jose Mourinho isn’t the type to abide a performance such as this one.

Carrick had said on Thursday that he was aware some players hadn’t played as much as they might have hoped, but we’ll never know how much his selection in the north east was based on remedying that, and how much was due to injuries.

The loss of Casemiro was certainly damaging. Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount are technically sound midfielders, but they lacked the bite required in the centre of the pitch in the Premier League. It was a reminder of why signing the right No.6 this summer is the centrepiece of the transfer window.

Casemiro’s passing is an often underrated weapon and United did struggle to progress the ball between the lines, but they also lacked presence. The five-time Champions League winner will take some replacing, and whether it’s Elliot Anderson, Aurelien Tchouameni or someone else who is tasked with the job, they have big boots to fill.

Mount worked hard defensively and put himself about, but he certainly didn’t look the answer in a deeper role. Neither did Joshua Zirkzee as a No.9. Mount and Zirkzee were making their first starts under Carrick and if these were intended auditions, neither passed, although it is Mount who clearly has the more secure Old Trafford future.

With Champions League football secure, Carrick knows United need a bigger squad, and he will need to use more players next season. This was evidence that, as it stands, this squad isn’t equipped with the depth required to compete on two fronts.

They just couldn’t keep possession in the early stages and their problems were twofold. Sunderland’s aggressive press forced them to regularly cough up the ball in dangerous areas, with Lisandro Martinez struggling to find his radar and the rest of the back four not in the same league when it comes to taking the ball under pressure.

To try and alleviate some of the pressure, Senne Lammens was going long. The Belgian was stung by his first major error with the ball at his feet last weekend and looked keen to avoid a repeat, but Zirkzee lacks the physicality and tenacity to make those passes stick. He was bullied by Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete.

Lammens might not yet be pinging passes between the lines, but he is making saves. He denied Noah Sadiki with a superb stop after Sunderland had cut through United, then flung himself at Brian Brobbey’s feet after the striker had turned Martinez.

Chances at the other end were few and far between. Amad curled a shot just wide and Zirkzee sent a free header over. Even the half-chances were more promising for Sunderland. Sadiki had another shot blocked and Brobbey, who was all over Martinez, dragged a shot wide.

The second half offered little respite. United’s best opportunity came early, when a fortunate deflection sent the ball spinning through to Amad, only for the Sunderland loanee to get his pass into the middle wrong.

Sunderland soon had the whip hand again. Lammens produced an excellent save from Brobbey after a scrappy passage of play in which the hosts’ desire to win the ball was the difference.

Carrick tried to muster a response from the bench, turning to the returning Patrick Dorgu and the dropped Bryan Mbeumo, but it had little effect.

He will at least console himself with the fact that the job is done for this season. But this was the first glimpse of what will be needed next season, when United will play closer to 60 games than 40. It only highlighted how much work there is to do this summer, and that director of football Jason Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell have to ensure they equip Carrick with a stronger squad than this.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka said players could consider boycotting a Grand Slam in the future amid the ongoing dispute over prize money and revenue-sharing at tennis majors.

Speaking ahead of the Italian Open in Rome, Sabalenka said players may eventually need stronger action to push for what they believe are fairer financial terms.

While several leading players backed calls for increased prize money, opinions remained divided on the possibility of a boycott. Iga Swiatek preferred further discussions with governing bodies, while Emma Raducanu said she would not support skipping the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Players seek bigger share of revenue

The debate over prize money intensified after leading men’s and women’s players expressed disappointment with the financial package for this year’s French Open. Players are demanding a larger percentage of revenue generated by the four Grand Slams, along with improved benefit contributions and greater involvement in decisions related to scheduling and tournament operations.

Gauff open to collective action

World number four America’s Coco Gauff said a boycott could become possible if players acted together as one group. Gauff indicated that a stronger player organisation may be necessary to achieve significant changes in the sport.

World number two Elena Rybakina also suggested she would support a boycott if it became the majority position among players.

Swiatek prefers negotiations

Iga Swiatek supported calls for higher prize money but described a boycott as an extreme step. The Polish player said discussions and negotiations with governing bodies should continue before considering stronger measures.

She added that individual competition in tennis makes collective action more complicated compared to team sports.

Raducanu rules herself out

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu said Grand Slam tournaments remain the most important events in tennis and stated she would not take part in a boycott. The British player said the value of competing at the majors goes beyond financial rewards.

Meanwhile, world number five Jessica Pegula reiterated support for improved player compensation but had previously indicated that players were unlikely to strike against the Grand Slams.

Having previously shared four rounds of sparring with Conor Benn, former world champion Shawn Porter has considered how the Brit might fare against Ryan Garcia.

‘The Destroyer’ comes off a comfortable 10-round points victory over Regis Prograis, featuring on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov last month.

In doing so, he remained in the win column at a catchweight of 150lbs after exacting his revenge over Chris Eubank Jr in their middleweight rematch last November.

As the WBC’s highest-ranked welterweight contender, though, Benn is set to drop back down to 147lbs in pursuit of a showdown with Ryan Garcia.

The American claimed his WBC world title in February, dethroning Mario Barrios with a one-sided points victory after flooring his man in the opening round.

As a result, Garcia secured his first victory since scoring an eighth-round finish over Oscar Duarte in 2023, which was followed by a no-contest against Devin Haney and a unanimous decision loss to Rolando Romero.

Hoping for a more consistent run of form, the 27-year-old is set to defend his title later this year, perhaps in the summer, with mandatory challenger Benn having emerged as a likely opponent.

But while crediting Benn for his “versatility”, Porter has told Boxing King Media that he believes the speed of Garcia could potentially lead to a dramatic finish.

“Based on how Ryan Garcia looked in his last fight, it looks like he beats Conor Benn.

“The style clash favours Ryan Garcia because of his speed – because of his power from the outside – so it’s definitely a tough fight for Conor Benn.

“I would say 60/40 [that] Ryan Garcia wins that fight, possibly [by] KO. But Conor is very tough. That’s what I already knew about him, but I got to see it first-hand when we sparred.

“He’s much more versatile than [what] we saw in the first fight with Eubank. He comes back in the rematch against Eubank and we see the versatility, we see the speed, the foot movement and things of that nature.

Advertisement

“Those were the things I saw when I sparred him for four easy rounds.”

Despite their related history of failing doping tests, or perhaps partly because of it, a clash between Garcia and Benn is likely to attract considerable attention.