Aston Villa have the chance to open up a five point lead on the outgoing Premier League champions
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts towards Lewis Dunk of Brighton & Hove Albion
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts towards Lewis Dunk of Brighton & Hove Albion(Image: Getty Images)
View Image
Liverpool have suffered a series of blows to their Champions League hopes – both on the field and in the treatment room.
With a chance to leapfrog Aston Villa and push Unai Emery’s men down to fifth, the outgoing champions were beaten 2-1 at Brighton by a brace from former Manchester United man Danny Welbeck.
That means the Reds still trail Villa by two points, having played a game more and if Villa beat West Ham on Sunday, they will stay fourth but be five clear with seven matches to play.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who guided his team into the quarter finals of the Champions League in midweek, was asked about the race to qualify for next season’s competition.
“That is what I meant before the game. What I thought was, you won't need 24 points to qualify and hopefully I am right because we aren't able to get 24 points anymore.
"We kept trying, in the second half we were close but they were closer to score the third one than we were the second one. Unfortunately it wasn't enough after a week like this.
Content Image
Content Image
"There is always pressure at Liverpool. On me, on the players. That is completely normal. We have qualified for the quarter finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League but in the league we need to make sure that in the end, we qualify for the Champions League.
“As much as I dislike us losing here today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and will always be a difficult one as long as they keep bringing in so many good players.
"But there are other games where we should have picked up more points, like last week against Tottenham. That is far more unacceptable than this. But even away at Brighton, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result."
That wasn’t where Slot’s misery ended. Striker Hugo Ekitike lasted just eight minutes before tearfully hobbling off and Slot said: “The players and the fans know that there is only eight games to go to qualify for the Champions League and every game you have to miss is something you are upset about.
“Him going off and not being able to help the team - it is just a bit of bad luck. It is not like he will be out for three months but it is bad enough that he wasn't able to continue. It was a blow for him and a blow for us."
Liverpool’s problems started before the game kicked-off, with Mohamed Salah and Alisson both unable to play. Salah was forced off against Galatasaray and will miss Egypt’s fixtures in the international break.
Talismanic goalkeeper Alisson is also out with an injury. On Saturday morning Alisson gave an update on his injury on social media. "Unfortunately I will be out of action for a while," he said. "But already working to come back even stronger! Thank you for the support!"
Villa play Liverpool on May 17 but will hope to have their Champions League spot secured by then.