Chelsea and Liverpool face fight to qualify for Champions League on merit with top-4 finish

LONDON (Reuters) – Having been major players in the doomed plan to wreck the Champions League this week, Chelsea and Liverpool face a crucial weekend trying to ensure they qualify for next season’s edition via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Chelsea edged back into the top four with a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday night, but only by virtue of goal difference over West Ham United, which it faces on Saturday.

West Ham was one of the most vocal clubs in criticizing

Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal’s decision to jump on board the European Super League ship, calling it an “attack on football.”

Chelsea and the other five English renegades all made dramatic U-turns on Tuesday, effectively killing off the new 20-club league in which 15 founder members would have been guaranteed permanent residence.

The sense of outrage lingers, however, and West Ham will have acquired an army of new fans for its home clash with Chelsea – those left bitter at the thought of a European closed shop replacing hard-earned rewards.

Newcastle United might also have a little added motivation when it travels to Anfield to play Liverpool a few hours earlier as it seeks an unlikely victory that would surely banish its relegation fears.

David Moyes’s West Ham has been a revelation this season, but with the prize of a top-four finish tantalizingly close it suffered a fit of nerves last week in a 3-2 defeat at Newcastle.

But the fact that Chelsea drew 0-0 draw with Brighton on Tuesday and Liverpool also failed to beat Leeds United on Monday let it off the hook and left the top-four battle on a knife’s edge, with Chelsea and West Ham on 55 points and Liverpool on 53, all having six games remaining.

Tottenham Hotspur also have 53 after a 2-1 victory over Southampton

on Wednesday, but only have five games left.

Tottenham faces Manchester City in the League Cup final on Sunday with interim manager Ryan Mason following Monday’s sacking of Jose Mourinho.

Leicester City (56 points) was in action against West Bromwich Albion late Thursday when victory would have cemented it in third place before it hosts Crystal Palace on Monday.

In view of the events of this week, second-place Manchester United will be happy that it does not have to face Leeds United in front of a baying Elland Road crowd on Saturday.

A sixth successive league win for United would make Champions League soccer next season a virtual certainty.