Liverpool's task is simple with 3 games to go after receiving welcomed boost
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Liverpool needs just four points from its remaining three Premier League games to secure a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for a third successive seasonLiverpool head coach Arne Slot is trying to finish the season strongly(Image: Getty Images)And then there were three.With 35 of 38 Premier League matches played, only a trio of clubs can now overtake Liverpool and deny the Reds a third consecutive season of Champions League football. Manchester City's late equalizer at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday may well not be sufficient to prevent the league title heading to Arsenal for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, but it was enough to ensure Everton can no longer overhaul Liverpool.Earlier in the day, a dismal Chelsea display saw it slump to a 3-1 home defeat against what was effectively Nottingham Forest's reserve side, meaning it too cannot finish any higher than sixth.READ MORE: Liverpool new kit for 2026/27 already 'on sale' in stores after latest leakREAD MORE: Liverpool get huge boost without even playing as club's Champions League hopes endedWith Fulham and Sunderland also dropping points, the number of clubs capable of threatening Liverpool's position narrowed considerably over the weekend.
Aston Villa also suffered defeat — a disappointing home loss to relegation-threatened Tottenham — leaving Liverpool ahead of the Midlands side in fourth place on goal difference.With the top five earning Champions League places next season, both the Reds and Villa enjoy a six-point cushion over Bournemouth, which sits a point clear of Brentford, with Brighton a further point behind.Arne Slot's players require four points to mathematically guarantee a top-five finish, though three points would leave Bournemouth needing to overturn a goal difference deficit of nine across the remaining three matches to pip Liverpool.It's been a tough season for Liverpool(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)On only four occasions in Premier League history have the Reds accumulated fewer than three points over the final three games, the most recent being last season, when just two points were gathered after the title had already been secured.A similar outcome occurred in 2006/07, with Liverpool's attentions turning to an upcoming Champions League final against AC Milan, while only one point was claimed during the disappointing conclusions to the 2014/15 and 1999/2000 campaigns.That season at the turn of the millennium should serve as a cautionary tale. Liverpool entered the final three fixtures occupying a Champions League qualification spot, yet a home defeat to Leicester, a goalless Anfield draw with Southampton and, on the final day, a 1-0 loss at Bradford — a result that kept the Yorkshire club in the division — proved enough for Leeds to leapfrog the Reds.A late-season collapse, therefore, remains very much within the realms of possibility, even if the Reds hold their own fate firmly in their hands.
Brighton appears to have the more favorable schedule, with home ties against Wolves and Manchester United bookending a trip to Leeds, though anything short of three victories would render their top-five challenge futile.Brentford could see its ambitions dashed at title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday before hosting Crystal Palace ahead of their trip to Anfield, while Bournemouth also face City, but at home, either side of away days at Europe-chasing Fulham and lowly yet in-form Forest.Slot was right to caution over the weekend that the job is far from finished. While Liverpool remains a strong favorite to secure a top-five finish, the recurring theme of this season has been the Reds' uncanny ability to stumble when the road gets bumpy.