Manchester United bounced back from the disappointment of last week's Europa League exit on Sunday by booking their place in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Following a goalless 120 minutes, United advanced to their first FA Cup final since 2018 with a 7-6 penalty shootout triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion. Victor Lindelof dispatched the decisive penalty to set up an all-Manchester contest against City on June 3.
It means, of course, that United can still end their first season of the Erik ten Hag era by winning two trophies, following their Carabao Cup triumph over Newcastle United back in February. For now, however, United need to focus on their main objective: finishing inside the top four and securing Champions League qualification.
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The Reds are currently fourth in the standings, only behind third-placed Newcastle United on goal difference, and could take a giant stride towards finishing in the Champions League places with a win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening. Six points currently separate them in the table.
Although United's campaign would have to spiral out of control for them to miss out on a top-four berth, the likes of Aston Villa and Liverpool are not giving hope of catching them just yet. Villa and Liverpool are currently eight and nine points behind them respectively.
With that said, it is unlikely that Jurgen Klopp's side will be able to reel them in in pursuit of Champions League qualification. Nevertheless, United's victory over Brighton at the weekend has boosted the Merseysiders' chances of playing in Europe one way or another next season.
With United and fellow FA Cup finalists City expected to finish inside the top five in the Premier League this term, it means the club that finishes sixth will be handed a Europa League spot alongside the club that claims fifth place. They will both be granted an automatic pass to the group stages without the need of going through the qualifying rounds.
Furthermore, United's triumph in the Carabao Cup at the end of February means that the Europa Conference League place will be handed to the club that finishes seventh. As things stand currently, that would mean Liverpool would head into that competition.
In total, seven European places are available to English clubs, with those that finish inside the top four qualifying for the Champions League and the club that finishes fifth securing an automatic route to the Europa League.
A Europa League spot is also awarded to the FA Cup winners while the Carabao Cup winners get a Europa Conference League spot. For reasons outlined above, the winner of both of those competitions will not enter either of those two aforementioned competitions, unless United win the FA Cup and drop out of the top four.
With seven games left, Liverpool are just a point behind sixth-placed Villa and have a game in hand, meaning they will be desperate to qualify for the Europa League and avoid a play-off round to gain entry to the Europa Conference League. The Anfield outfit also have to play both Villa and Spurs between now and the end of the season.
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