Chelsea beat Leicester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, handing Liverpool a huge boost in their race for the Champions League.
What seemed an unlikely top four challenge is now all-but in Liverpool’s hands after Leicester City’s defeat to Chelsea. Goals from Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho put the Blues two up, before Kelechi Iheanacho halved the deficit.
But Thomas Tuchel’s side hung on and won 2-1, with the three points going a huge way towards guaranteeing Champions League qualification for next season.
It also ensures that Liverpool’s fate is essentially in their own hands, with pivotal clashes against Burnley and Crystal Palace to come.
Jurgen Klopp’s side looked as if they would have to settle for the Europa League, thanks to their wretched run of form over the festive period.
However, three wins in a row, including a dramatic last gasp win at West Brom brought them right into the race.
Alisson’s memorable last second winner at the Hawthorns piled the pressure on Chelsea and Leicester ahead of the penultimate fixtures of the season.
And defeat for the Foxes means that two wins for Liverpool should earn them a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Leicester currently find themselves in 66 points, three ahead of the Reds having played a game more.
Liverpool will leapfrog them with a win at Turf Moor thanks to their superior goal difference.
Should that happen, Klopp’s side will know that they will just need to better what Leicester do on the final weekend to finish fourth, with an outside chance they could yet finish one place higher.
In fact, a win on Wednesday would mean that they would that even a draw would be enough, if Leicester fail to beat Tottenham at the King Power.
Chelsea face Aston Villa on the final day and anything less than a win would open the door for Liverpool to move above them, should they pick up maximum points.
Asked to compare finishing in the top four compared to some of their other recent achievements, Klopp said: “I don’t want to compare with other things.
“It’s very complicated and difficult as well to win whatever because you have to be consistent.
“Even in a season you are winning whatever, it’s never without any setbacks or any problems during a season, so I don’t want to compare it.
“ But it would be massive, that’s true, absolutely massive and much better than we would have thought maybe a few weeks ago when it was out of sight for us.
“That we can come that close since then, we won a few games, brought ourselves in the position we are in now, and now we want to use that – that’s clear.”
“If we have on Sunday still a final for us, then we had a positive result at Turf Moor. That’s all what it is and depends on other results.
“If we don’t win on Wednesday then we don’t have a final on Sunday, these kind of things. But we only have to focus on this one game.
“That it means a lot, I really think I don’t have to explain that because you could see that in the celebrations at West Brom.”
