Aston Villa victory over Liverpool could send Champions League race to final day

Aston Villa secured Champions League qualification after beating Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday.

Liverpool dominated proceedings in the first half, but Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead against the run of play before the interval.

Virgil van Dijk levelled the scores early in the second half. However, goals by Ollie McGinn (2) and John McGinn put Villa 4-1 ahead.

Van Dijk scored in stoppage time, but it was not enough to prevent Villa from recording their first league victory over the Reds since 2020/21.

The Villans have now climbed to fourth in the standings, moving three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool. Bournemouth are four points behind the Reds with a game in hand.

What Villa victory means for the Champions League race

Villa have secured their Champions League berth for next season.

The Premier League can no longer field six teams in Europe’s elite club competition, even if Villa beat SC Freiburg in next Wednesday’s Europa League final.

Liverpool, Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion will now compete for the last Champions League qualification spot.

However, Bournemouth and Brighton have to beat Manchester City and Leeds United to drag the race to the final day. They trail Liverpool by four and six points respectively.

Victory over Brentford at Anfield on the final day would confirm Liverpool’s qualification, regardless of results elsewhere.

Despite their poor form, only four teams have collected more points at home than Arne Slot’s side. They have also won their last nine league home games against Brentford.

Bournemouth and Brighton have tough fixtures to contend with and are not guaranteed to get maximum points.

The Cherries face City before travelling to Nottingham Forest, while the Seagulls visit Leeds United before hosting Manchester United.