sport news Why Liverpool could end their dour season a high and qualify for the Champions ... trends now
It would have taken the most optimistic of Liverpool fans to believe they had a chance of finishing inside the top four just a matter of weeks ago.
After their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on April 9, the Reds were 12 points behind Newcastle and Manchester United with nine games left to play.
Since then they have won six games on the trot and after their slim victory over Brentford at the weekend, are only one point behind their greatest rivals - though the Red Devils do have a game-in-hand.
Jurgen Klopp knows the task at hand - 71 points is the magic number. His Liverpool side need to win their remaining three games and hope that Manchester United drop points in two out of their remaining four games.
Should the Reds do this and qualify for next season's Champions League, it would salvage a season which looked dead and buried, and give them a massive lift going into what is expected to be a busy summer.
Liverpool have revived their top-four aspirations on the back of six successive victories
Manchester United are still in the driving seat to make the top-four but they can't afford many more slip-ups with Liverpool looking like they will finish off the season strongly
Liverpool have closed the gap to the top-four following six straight victories, though both Newcastle and Manchester United above them have a game-in-hand
United boss Erik ten Hag will have concerns following the nature of his side's display in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday and the fact that they failed to score for the second game in a row.
It wasn't just David de Gea's poor reactions for the decisive 27th minute Said Benrahma winner, it was the fact the Hammers deserved to win by more.
The Hammers had what appeared to be a stonewall penalty for Victor Lindelof's handball turned down, while the sight of players including Bruno Fernandes pointing and moaning at team mates during the match brought back memories of their miserable year before Ten Hag's arrival.
While there is no doubt that the Dutchman has changed things around since he joined the Red Devils, much of his good work is at risk of being undone if they throw away a top-four spot.
The fact that United have got themselves in this position at all shows the work that he still needs to do at Old Trafford, despite their Carabao Cup win and place in the FA Cup final papering over the cracks.
Fortunately for the Red Devils, three of their final four games are to be played at Old Trafford.
Their run looks favourable on paper but all it will take is two draws to undo their season if Klopp's side can make it nine wins in a row to end the season.
Next up is Wolves who have won four out of their last six games in the top flight - though they also did suffer a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton.
The last time these two sides met in the Premier League at Old Trafford it was Wolves who walked away with the victory after an 82nd minute Joao Moutinho strike when they met in January 2022.
Jurgen Klopp's (left) side could get top four if they win their remaining games and Erik ten Hag's (right) Manchester United drop points in two out of the four matches they have to play
Newcastle could also leave themselves vulnerable if they lose two out of their remaining four games against Leeds, Brighton, Leicester and Chelsea
United then travel to Bournemouth where they also suffered a 1-0 defeat on their last trip to the Vitality Stadium back in November 2019 - a season where the Cherries
