Liverpool possesses a golden opportunity to make up ground in the top-four race after Saturday results in the Premier League
Fasika Zelealem Senior Sports Reporter
18:15, 21 Feb 2026
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
Liverpool must take advantage of their top four rivals slipping up(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool has no choice but to capture all three points against Nottingham Forest following the latest twist in the Premier League top-four race.
The reigning league champions have been out of the automatic Champions League places for a month straight and have trailed behind Chelsea, Manchester United, and Aston Villa in the race to compete in the competition next season.
Currently sixth in the table, Arne Slot's side has a favorable run of four fixtures as they take on teams placed in 17th, 18th, 20th, and 16th in the table. It's a trip to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon that's up first for the Merseyside giants, who'll be licking their lips ahead of the clash following Saturday's results.
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While Chelsea (45 points) seemed headed for a 1-0 victory against Burnley at Stamford Bridge, a 93rd-minute equalizer scored by Zian Flemming meant the Blues could only earn a point. They currently sit three points ahead of Liverpool (42 points) but will remain above them even if the Reds win on Sunday due to having a superior goal difference.
It was a double whammy for the top four teams aiming for UCL qualification, with Villa (51 points) only managing a point at home to Leeds United, thanks to Tammy Abraham's 88th-minute goal that canceled out Anton Stach's stunning first-half free-kick.
Liverpool's consistent trailing of rivals in the race for Champions League football led Wayne Rooney to suggest Slot lacks the presence of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp to be the manager of Liverpool.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate earlier this week, the Manchester United icon said: "I just don't think, for Liverpool, he [Slot] has that aura. Maybe that's because Liverpool have just come off the back of Jurgen [Klopp] as manager. It's difficult for anyone to do that, but I just don't think there is that aura about him."
Liverpool manager Arne Slot gestures during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion
Arne Slot must make up ground in the top four race(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista, Getty Images)
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The Dutchman was asked about Rooney's comments, to which he responded: "Comparing people with each other is something everyone has the right to do, but is that fair to compare people with each other? We are all different.
"I think the more a manager wins, the more aura he has. That's in general something. I don't know if you agree with Wayne Rooney by the way, but if this would be the general opinion, then I think people would probably tell you last season I had more aura than this season.
"But maybe he's the only one who has this opinion, I don't know, you tell me. It's the first time that I heard this. But I think it's fair to say that Jurgen definitely has aura, yeah. I can talk about him, not about myself, but he definitely had that. But a winning manager has an aura as well."