Arsenal have avoided a major Champions League nightmare thanks to Manchester United. The Gunners are currently leading the race for the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Premier League, sitting fourth in the table, a point clear of the Red Devils with three games in hand.
Mikel Arteta's team face a Liverpool team gunning for top spot in the table on Wednesday night, knowing any result is a bonus against Jurgen Klopp's side, with another two games in hand over their top four rivals to come in what could be a defining run of fixtures. But prior to Tuesday night there was a scenario where Arsenal could have finished in the top four and still not qualified for next season's Champions League tournament.
The Gunners have been out of Europe's premier competition for the past five seasons and are looking to get back into the elite this time around. And Manchester United's defeat to Atletico Madrid in this season's round of 16 has spared them the ignominy of potentially finishing fourth and not qualifying, as happened to north London rivals Tottenham in 2012.
United were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by the La Liga side, after losing 1-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. Renan Lodi's goal shortly before half-time proved to be the difference between the two clubs on the night as the La Liga outfit joined Liverpool, Manchester City and rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-final stage.
And that has handed Arsenal a massive boost in the top four race, with fourth place in the Premier League now guaranteed a spot in next season's Champions League competition. With United in the Champions League knockout stages this year and West Ham in the Europa League knockout stages, there was a scenario that would have left fourth place without a spot in the Champions League.
Due to a change in UEFA regulations back in 2013, no more than five teams from the same league can compete in Europe's elite competition. Therefore had United won the Champions League and the Hammers won the Europa League, the holders would be represented in the competition next year, while the Europa League winners also get a spot, meaning only the top three in the Premier League would make it in - if United and West Ham finished outside the top four of course.
It's a scenario that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp doesn't agree with. He said last year: "It is not nice if you are fourth and then you get kicked out because of another team winning the Champions League. That's not cool. These are the rules at the moment so we have to accept them and if they are wrong, then we have to change them. But at the moment, we have to work with that."
