Chelsea could be handed a lifeline in their pursuit of Champions League football, with six Premier League teams still able to qualify for Europe’s premier cup competition.
Liam Rosenior’s side fell further behind in the race for Champions League qualification over the weekend after losing 1-0 to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool’s stoppage-time winner in the Merseyside derby at Everton, which came minutes after Aston Villa’s stoppage-time winner over Sunderland, compounded Chelsea’s woes.
Chelsea are now seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool and 10 behind fourth- and third-placed Villa and Man Utd.
The Premier League’s top five are guaranteed Champions League football next season, with England set to top UEFA's European Performance Spots (EPS) for the second season running.
EPS awards extra places in the Champions League to the two leagues with the best overall record across their three European competitions each season.
Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League standings, and with five games to go, look unlikely to bridge the gap to Liverpool after suffering their fourth successive league defeat.
Sixth place, though, could still be good enough for Champions League qualification, but Chelsea need Aston Villa to win the Europa League and finish fifth in the Premier League.
The winners of the Europa League automatically qualify for the Champions League, and Villa are set to face off with Nottingham Forest in a two-legged semi-final, which starts later this month.
If Villa finish in fourth spot, or higher and win the Europa League, then there is no change to the qualification spots. Villa would qualify for the Champions League as Europa League winners and via their Premier League finish.
However, if Villa finish in the fifth EPS-awarded spot and win the Europa League, they would qualify for the Champions League as Europa League winners while the EPS spot would move to the team below them in sixth. Where Chelsea currently sit.
Chelsea’s recent form means they are by no means guaranteed to finish sixth, with Brentford and Bournemouth level on points, while Brighton, Everton, Sunderland and Fulham are all closely behind.
Things get trickier, as Chelsea would also need Liverpool to win as many points as possible to close their three-point gap on Villa to move above them in the league. Chelsea play Liverpool on May 9.
