The race for the top four in the English Premier League has been cast wide open after Liverpool’s late resurgence in the recent days and as it seems, this will go down to the wire.
An impressive 4-2 win at Old Trafford over Manchester United and a defeat for Chelsea against Arsenal has made it difficult to predict who will seal the top slots. Leicester City on the other hand beat Manchester United on Tuesday to cement third spot.
For the Reds, the remaining fixtures see them face three sides with nothing to play for. They are away to already relegated West Brom on Sunday before travelling to Burnley on 19 May and then hosting Crystal Palace in their final game on 23 May.
Chelsea and Leicester who are above Liverpool at the moment will face each other on May 18 and this means that Liverpool who have a game in hand can actually capitalize on this when they face West Brom on Sunday.
Despite trailing Chelsea by four points, Liverpool now know if they win all their games they will qualify for the Champions League next season.
Let us take a look at the teams fighting for top four heading into matchday 37.
Leicester City:
The Foxes have two games to play and are currently third on the log with 66 points. They meet Chelsea(4th) on May 18 and Tottenham(7th) in their last fixture.
Injured players: Harvey Barnes (knee), Jonny Evans (ankle), James Justin (knee), Wes Morgan (back)
Leicester's 2-1 win at Manchester United on Tuesday leaves the Foxes in a great position to qualify for the Champions League for only the second time after they reached the quarter-finals in 2016-17 following their shock Premier League title the previous campaign.
Chelsea
The Blues sit in fourth with 64 points with two games to go. A devastating 1-0 loss to Arsenal has really messed up their top four hopes. They will now have to ensure that they beat third placed Leicester(3rd) and Aston Villa(11th) to cement fourth spot.
Injured players: Andreas Christensen (hamstring), Mateo Kovacic (thigh)
Chelsea are in excellent shape to claim a place in next season's Champions League, with two routes still available to them: a place in the top four or beating Manchester City in the final to win this season's competition.
That this is the case is down to their improvement and magnificent form since Thomas Tuchel succeeded Frank Lampard, who was sacked in January with the Blues ninth in the table.Since then, they have won 10 of 17 league games, although Wednesday's home defeat to Arsenal will give hope to West Ham and Liverpool that they could yet sneak into the top four.
Liverpool
The Reds have had a season they would want to forget, from top of the table at Christmas to 7th, things haven’t been working for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
They have three matches to play West Brom(19th), Burnley(15th) and Crystal Palace(13th) in their quest for a top four finish.
Injured players: Ben Davies (muscle), Virgil van Dijk (knee), Joe Gomez (knee), Jordan Henderson (hip), Caoimhin Kelleher (abdominal), Naby Keita (knock), Joel Matip (ankle), James Milner (knock), Divock Origi (muscle)
Liverpool have not been helped out by injuries, especially in defence, with Virgil van Dijk and his regular partner Joe Gomez missing for much of the campaign.
They have a four-point gap to make up if they are to stand a chance of the top four, but there are elements in their favour.
West Ham
The Hammers are the surprise package in the top four race. From 16th position last term to 6th, David Moyes’ charges have over achieved and defied all odds.There remaining fixtures, Brighton(17th) and Southampton (14th) are very crucial if they have to make it to Europe’s elite club competition.
Injured players: Arthur Masuaku (knee), Mark Noble (calf), Angelo Ogbonna (thigh), Declan Rice (knee)
The Hammers have however run out of steam at the worst possible time, with Sunday's home loss to Everton - coming soon after defeats by Newcastle and Chelsea - a huge blow to their hopes.
They do have favourable fixtures - certainly more so than Leicester - and influential midfielder Declan Rice reportedly on the verge of returning.
But it is now starting to look like the Europa League is a more realistic target, which would represent a huge progression for Moyes and his team.