Michael Owen believes Liverpool have left it too late to finish in the top-four with Newcastle United and Manchester United winning on Sunday alongside the Reds.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former Anfield striker believes that Liverpool’s chances on winning a UEFA Champions League spot are gone, with Eddie Howe’s Magpies and United simply too far ahead at this stage of the season.
Liverpool secured their fourth win-in-a-row on Sunday after an incredible 4-3 win against Tottenham, a result that sent Jurgen Klopp’s side into fifth. However, with United seven points ahead of them in fourth and with a game in hand, it might be too little too late for the Merseyside giants.
Indeed, whilst the Reds look set to end the season with a bang, Owen believes that Liverpool’s realistic chances of a top-four finish are over, with Newcastle and United also in impressive form as they look to book their places in the Champions League for next season.
Owen said on the top-four race: “I think the nail is in the coffin for all the teams that are chasing, Liverpool would have been watching that today thinking if we beat Tottenham we can chase them down. But with Newcastle and Manchester United winning today, I think that might seal the deal.”
Liverpool’s form has peaked too late in the battle for top-four
Liverpool are starting to show the kind of form that saw the Reds dominate English and European football for the past four years, yet with so few games left in the season and Newcastle and United continuing to win, the Reds have peaked way too late in the campaign to mount a real charge for top-four.
Although a run in the UEFA Europa League could be ideal for building up match fitness and chemistry for the slew of new signings Liverpool will make in the summer, missing out on top-four is a huge blow for the Reds, and Klopp will be determined to not let this happen again in the coming years.