Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on March 10, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on March 10, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League after a 2-1 loss to Brighton amid the battle for Champions League qualification.
The cliché will be used by every team with something to play for.
“We have X cup finals left,” is the platitude that will be uttered by players and managers across the Premier League. It was what Cody Gakpo said after Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
There would have been few people, if any, who predicted the Reds to suffer 10 Premier League defeats as defending champions. At the start of the season, plenty believed it could be the start of a period of dominance for Liverpool after cruising to the title in Arne Slot’s maiden campaign as head coach.
Yet Slot instead finds himself under increased pressure in the Anfield hot seat, with Liverpool just fifth in the table. Slot has already admitted that it will be unacceptable if the Reds miss out on Champions League qualification this campaign. With seven games remaining, large sections of fans are growing concerned that Liverpool will miss out on a place in Europe’s elite club competition for 2026-27.
While the Reds might be in the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League - and have impressed for the most part in the tournament - they have picked up just one point in their past three Premier League games. Against Brighton, Liverpool were second best and deserved to return to Merseyside empty-handed. While there were some mitigating circumstances, with the Reds effectively missing their three most potent forwards. Mo Salah and Alexander Isak were injured while Hugo Ekitike was forced off inside eight minutes.
The game also took place just 62 hours after a 4-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray, giving Slot’s side little rest while Brighton had a full week to prepare. But the reverse keeps Slot’s position under scrutiny.
Certainly, Liverpool would have been thankful that fierce foes Everton did them a favour by earning a 3-0 win over Chelsea, who are in sixth spot and one point behind. The Stamford Bridge side were woeful at Hill Dickinson Stadium and have suffered four successive defeats. But fourth-placed Aston Villa’s run of stuttering form came to an end with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
The international break means that Liverpool do not swiftly get a chance to put things right. The majority of their squad will represent their respective nations over the next two weeks and Slot has plenty to ponder.
The Reds boss said: “It's a break for me, maybe it's a break for you, but it's not a break for the players. I saw this today for the first time and maybe if I'm saying something wrong now then I'm wrong, but I thought I read today [Thomas] Tuchel, the England national team manager, said to 15 players they had to come in later during the camp. And if I am correct, but I have to read all the names one more time, those were mainly the players that have played Champions League and played so many games this season.
“Unfortunately for us, it's the only country where we don't have internationals, so all the other ones will probably use our players again twice. I think, but it's also something I'm going to ask our data department, that a lot of our players are in the top 10 in terms of playing minutes, because I have so many times had to play the same players because of the model we are having, because of the injuries we are having. We don't have a big squad, we always have to come back to the same players. But these same players today showed character because I thought I saw that all the ones that played Wednesday were still able to compete in the end. Maybe not as fresh as they were Wednesday but they didn't give up and that's an important asset to have for the last period of the season.”
When Liverpool return to action, there will be little margin for error to qualifiy for the Champions League, and will be hoping Aston Villa and Chelsea slip-up. With that in mind, here’s a look at the respective clubs’ remaining Premier League fixtures.
Liverpool
Fulham (H), Saturday April 11
Everton (A), Sunday 19 April
Crystal Palace (H), Saturday 25 April
Man United (A), Saturday 2 May
Chelsea (H), Saturday 9 May
Aston Villa (A), Sunday 17 May
Brentford (H), Sunday 24 May
Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest (A), Sunday 12 April
Sunderland (H), Sunday 19 April
Fulham (A), Saturday 25 April
Tottenham (H), Saturday 2 May
Burnley (A), Saturday 2 May
Liverpool (H), Sunday 17 May
Man City (A), Sunday 24 May
Chelsea
Man City (H), Sunday 12 April
Man United (H), Saturday 18 April
Brighton (A), Sunday 26 April
Nottingham Forest (H), Sunday 2 May
Liverpool (A), Saturday 9 May
Tottenham (H), Sunday 17 May
Sunderland (A), Sunday 24 May.
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