As the full-time whistle sounded at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, it wasn't just Mauricio Pochettino celebrating Chelsea's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Defeat for Ange Postecoglou's side ensured that Liverpool are guaranteed a top-four finish for the seventh and final time under Jurgen Klopp, who has just three matches left as Reds boss before departing at the end of the season.

As Liverpool found themselves clear of the chasing pack and in control of their own Premier League fate at the start of April, with just seven games to go, the news that the Reds have secured a swift return to the Champions League has understandably been met with muted celebrations on Merseyside over the weekend.



“It’s what we did and it’s super important for the future of the club, and I’m really happy about that.”

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It goes without saying that a return to the Champions League is a profitable business for Liverpool after earning just shy of £90m from their run to the 2022 final.

Yet, it will have been at Liverpool's Kirkby Academy and perhaps not the boardroom where this week's return to the top table of European football was most celebrated, with Liverpool now assured of a place in the 2024/25 UEFA Youth League.

Since 2017, the young Reds have earned entry to the competition in five of the available six campaigns, with the 2020/21 edition shelved due to the coronavirus.

This season though, after an uninspiring fifth-place finish in the Premier League last time out, Barry Lewtas' side were left without European football for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

"There's no getting away from it - the UEFA Youth League will be missed," Lewtas told the ECHO in May 2023.

Captain of the 2022-23 team Jarell Quansah is also one of the renowned success stories, making a further 29 appearances for Liverpool since his debut at Newcastle United back in August.

Perhaps most remarkable of all, though, was February's League Cup final triumph over Chelsea that saw eight of Liverpool's 20-man squad made up of Youth League alumni, with the likes of Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas and Danns all joining Quansah as representatives of the 2022/23 team that reached the quarter-final stages.

And while not at Anfield, Tyler Morton [on loan at Hull City], Neco Williams [Nottingham Forest], Layton Stewart [Preston North End], Rhian Brewster [Sheffield United], Elijah Dixon-Bonner [Queens Park Rangers], Liam Millar [Preston North End], Billy Koumetio [Blackburn Rovers] and Ki-Jana Hoever [Stoke City] are all reaping the rewards of their time in the competition by earning moves to clubs either in the Premier League or Championship.

Of course, Klopp won't be at the helm to celebrate Anfield's next successful Youth League cohort but with the German keen to ensure the club is left in safe hands after his departure, it is no wonder he couldn't hide his delight at Liverpool's Champions League return earlier this week.
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