Chelsea took a giant step towards Champions League qualification with a 2-1 win over Leicester City on Tuesday night but the Blues know they are not there yet.
As for Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, their dreams of securing a top four finish this season are over.
Thomas Tuchel’s men bounced back from their FA Cup final defeat to the Foxes on Saturday with an impressive performance in front of 8,000 fans at Stamford Bridge.
Second-half goals from Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho was the least Chelsea deserved after a dominant opening hour in West London.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal with a quarter of an hour remaining set up a tense finish and Ayoze Perez missed a glorious opportunity late on to keep Leicester in third position.
So who is going to qualify for the Champions League?
Liverpool were bookies’ favourites to secure Champions League football heading into this week, due to the FA Cup finalists facing off against each other on Tuesday night.
It looked as if The Reds were going to have to settle for Europa League football at best prior to last week, with Leicester and Chelsea very much in control of their own Champions League destiny.
However, Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal last Wednesday and Liverpool’s victories over Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion in the space of four days meant the Reds moved up to fifth and went into this week just three points behind third-place Leicester.
With Chelsea suffering back-to-back 1-0 defeats, the Blues head into Tuesday night’s game under serious pressure.
The 2-1 victory has put them in the driving seat for now but they are still not guaranteed qualification to the Champions League yet.
If they either draw or lose at Aston Villa on Sunday, then Leicester and Liverpool will qualify for European football’s premier competition if they win their remaining games.
If Leicester were to draw with Tottenham at the weekend, then Chelsea would need to lose by three goals if they were to be leapfrogged by the Foxes on goal difference.
Liverpool can go into their game with Burnley on Wednesday night and welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday knowing two wins will almost certainly be enough to secure Champions League qualification on goal difference even if Leicester were to win, unless the Foxes secure a big victory over Spurs that is.
The goal difference between Brendan Rodgers’ men and his old club is currently one goal in Liverpool’s favour but the Reds have a game in hand which if they win, would see them increase their goal difference further heading into Sunday’s decisive fixtures.
What happens if Chelsea win the Champions League?
If Chelsea finish inside the top four and win the Champions League – or their opponents Man City claim the crown – then the fifth-place side in the Premier League will NOT secure a bonus qualification place.
However, if the Blues were to finish fifth and then go on to win the Champions League, then they would join the other four English clubs in qualifying for next season’s group stages.
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