Liverpool now in a great position for Champions League qualification

21/05/21 3791

On Sunday, with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, an unlikely hero produced a vital goal for Liverpool at already relegated West Brom.

With virtually the last kick of the game Reds goalkeeper, Alisson Becker headed home to grab a 2-1 win that puts Jurgen Klopp’s team in a great position to rescue a Champions League spot for next season.

While finishing in the top four as reigning champions may not be regarded as a major achievement for Jurgen Klopp’s team in the grand scheme of things, it is a necessary consolation prize after a poor campaign compared to last season’s exploits.

If Alisson had not scored the winner at the Hawthorns things would have looked a lot bleaker for the Merseysider’s heading into the final two league games of the season. As it is, the Reds are fifth-place, three points adrift of third-place Leicester and just a point behind Chelsea in fourth-place.

Maybe the most important factor in all this is that the two teams directly above them meet on Tuesday night, so both teams cannot pick up points from the game.

Meanwhile, Liverpool visit Burnley on Wednesday, which although it could be a tricky fixture, but looks to have an away victory written all over it.

It is now looking promising for Klopp and his team heading into those final two games of the season. For Liverpool, qualifying for the Champions League has been routine in recent years.

However, for a brief time at the start of the year, the Reds looked set to miss out. The inconsistent recent form of some of their rivals has of course helped, but it seems they may just achieve that top-four finish.

At the end of the season, they may look back and pinpoint Alisson’s goal as the moment that rescued their Champions League campaign from the abyss.