Liverpool will compete in the Europa League during the 2023/24 season after Manchester United secured a top-four Premier League finish with a victory over Chelsea.
Goals from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford earned Erik Ten Hag's team a 4-1 win over the Londoners on Thursday night at Old Trafford. And it ensured Liverpool would be unable to leapfrog their Premier League foes on the final day of the season when they take on already-relegated Southampton at St Mary's.
For Jurgen Klopp's side,. it is the first time they have missed out on qualification to Europe's premier competition in the seven full seasons since the German succeeded Brendan Rodgers in October 2015. In that time, Liverpool have reached three Champions League finals, while adding a sixth European Cup to the Anfield annals with a victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano in June 2019.
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A return to the Europa League for the first time since 2015/16 - where they were beaten in the final by the competition's specialists, Sevilla - means the Reds will begin the gruelling Thursday-Sunday fixture list in early September, with their appetite for success no doubt boosted by the prospect of the Dublin final at the Aviva Stadium in May 2024.
Victory at Old Trafford for the Red Devils means Liverpool are also guaranteed a fifth-place finish in the Premier League this season whatever the outcome be against Ruben Selles' Saints side on Sunday. Such circumstances mean Klopp could ring the changes on the South Coast with Roberto Firmino and James Milner likely to be handed starts in their final appearances for the club.
Here are the key dates for next season's Europa League competition:
Matchday 1: 21 September 2023
Matchday 2: 5 October 2023
Matchday 3: 26 October 2023
Matchday 4: 9 November 2023
Matchday 5: 30 November 2023
Matchday 6: 14 December 2023
Knockout round play-offs: 15 and 22 February 2024
Round of 16: 7 and 14 March 2024
Quarter-finals: 11 and 18 April 2024
Semi-finals: 2 and 9 May 2024
Final: 22 May 2024
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