Liverpool boost: Champions League qualification assessed after Brighton's Premier League loss to Leeds narrows top-five race

Liverpool can no longer be overtaken by Brighton & Hove Albion in the race for a top-five finish in the Premier League.

The Reds are fifth with 59 points, and after their defeat against Aston Villa on Friday, they risked sixth-placed Bournemouth and seventh-placed Brighton closing the gap.

Bournemouth will host Manchester City on Tuesday, and a win would reduce the gap to just one point, whereas the Seagulls had the opportunity to move within three points of Liverpool on Sunday.

However, their 1-0 defeat against Leeds on proved costly, as they can no longer finish higher than sixth given they have just one match left to play.

The only club that can catch Arne Slot's Reds are Bournemouth, though the chances of the Merseysiders being overtaken are still slim.

Will Liverpool qualify for the Champions League?

Slot will lead his side out for the final time this season against Brentford on May 24, and that could be a difficult encounter considering the Bees managed to beat them 3-2 in the reverse fixture in October 2025.

The Reds have also lost two and drawn one of their last three games in the Premier League, conceding eight goals while rarely looking threatening outside of set pieces.

It should be noted that Liverpool are unbeaten in five league matches at Anfield, claiming three points three times, but their stalemates in that period were against Igor Tudor's Tottenham Hotspur and Calum McFarlane's Chelsea.

Perhaps the club's best chance of qualifying for the Champions League is hoping Man City take points from Bournemouth, as even a draw would require the Reds to lose and the Cherries to make up six goal difference in order to finish in the top five.

Has Arne Slot failed Liverpool in the Premier League?

The fact that Liverpool are in such a precarious position is damning for all those involved at Anfield, but responsibility for the shortcomings of the campaign must ultimately lie with Slot.

Few if any Liverpool players have improved compared to 2024-25, and the manager's failure to address structural weaknesses at the back has eroded the confidence he earned from fans after lifting the Premier League title last season.

Outbursts from Mohamed Salah have not helped his standing amongst supporters, and he cannot be surprised if the club's hierarchy make a change in the coming weeks.