Supercomputer predicts Liverpool’s Champions League chances after beating Tottenham Hotspur 

Liverpool beat Spurs 4-3 in the Premier League to retain their chances of qualifying for the Champions League, although Manchester United and Newcastle also won.

Champions League football remains Liverpool’s focus this season, but the longer the games last the slimmer the chances of that seem to be.

This seems odd considering Liverpool have won their last four games in a row. Still, they look further away from finishing in the Premier League’s top four than they were a few weeks ago.

Manchester United and Newcastle’s consistent wins and results are the reason for this reality. While the odds remain slim, beating a European rival is always a big win, if only to get into pole position for a consolation place in the Europa League. And when such a win is a 4-3 score, with an injury time winner, it only adds to the excitement and euphoria.

Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to boost their Champions League qualification hopes. He led the Reds to fifth in the table, but still seven points clear of the top four, having played one game more than Manchester United.

Jürgen Klopp has to prepare his side for five more games this season before the players have a few weeks off. For him, however, it will probably be spent on helping him get some transfers.

All of that will come in due time, but for now the task is to win as many matches as possible. And as another Premier League weekend draws to a close, it’s time for another look at the latest expected table.

Respected statistics website FIveThirtyEight regularly updates its spreadsheet to provide the latest Premier League arrival predictions. They’ve cracked the numbers and, unsurprisingly, still believe Liverpool won’t finish in the top four.

However, the website predicted that the Reds would finish just outside the Champions League positions in fifth place. The prediction sees Manchester City win the title with 90 points, six ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

Liverpool is tipped to finish on 66 points, which would mean dropping five over the course of the final five fixtures. Manchester United is the team predicted to finish fourth, on 73 points, seven ahead of Liverpool, while Newcastle is in third on 74 points. Even if Klopp’s side won each of its remaining fixtures, it could not get higher than 71 points, which is not projected to be enough (although it has been for the past two campaigns).

In terms of Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League, the website has updated the predictions for that, too. It has given the Reds a nine per cent likelihood of making up the ground to finish in the top four, which has actually fallen since before the weekend.

Compared to Manchester United (91%) and Newcastle (95%), this is significantly fewer. But that’s more than the four per cent awarded to Brighton, while Tottenham didn’t even have a chance to finish in the top four following the defeat.

Liverpool are likely to plan a Champions League-free season next season. In that case, the best-case scenario would be to compete in the Europa League instead.

What effect that will have on the club’s transfer activity this summer, only time will tell. You’d be surprised if Liverpool haven’t prepared for the possibility of not taking part in the Champions League, but what that entails is something only the people at the club know for sure.

Also..

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reveals what referee Paul Tierney told him – ‘I didn’t lie’

Jurgen Klopp has revealed what referee Paul Tierney told him when he was shown a yellow card at Anfield and insisted he ‘didn’t lie’.

The manager was widely criticized for his behavior during and after Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Tottenham.

Klopp celebrated Diogo Jota’s late winner against fourth official John Brooks before pointing out Tierney’s anti-Liverpool bias in his post-match interview and claiming he doesn’t know what the referee ” against us”.

“What he told me at the time when he gave me the yellow card is not correct,” he said, which PGMOL “strongly refuted” as Tierney acted “in professional way”.

Klopp would not reveal what the 42-year-old told him at the time, but as he faces charges from the FA he gave some insight on Tuesday.

He told reporters: “I was expecting a yellow card and he said to me, ‘It’s a red card for me, but it’s a yellow card because of [the fourth referee]’.”

“It was out of emotion, out of anger at the time, not a very good leader for what you do. That’s why I partied while I partied.

“That was the situation, with the foul on Mo – no foul, but in my opinion it was right in front of my eyes.

“He called a free kick, another free kick, [Richarlison’s] goal and a minute later we scored.

“Unfortunately I was still a little angry. I didn’t say anything wrong, I just yelled “without you!” which didn’t make much sense. “I didn’t want to get close to [Brooks]. Then I felt my muscles. That’s all. Then we scored, then Paul Tierney came to me.

“I didn’t expect a red card at all. I didn’t think that [would have been] fair.

“I was expecting a yellow card and he said ‘for me it’s a red card, but because of [the fourth official it’s a yellow]’.

“He showed me a yellow card, he smiled at me, that’s all.

“The match continues, final whistle, we go inside, try to calm down, didn’t function properly, let’s go to interviews and I said what I said.”

Klopp’s response to questions about the situation was lengthy, with the manager also discussing his ‘history’ with Tierney, which dates back to 2017.

He suggested he ‘opened the box’ to the media with his post-match comments, and insisted, while he believes Tierney let down Liverpool in ‘decisive games’, that the official’ don’t do it intentionally.”

“The things that were made of what Paul Tierney told me, I didn’t say,” he continued. “What I said was ‘what he told me wasn’t right’. I didn’t think it was right because it wasn’t a red card in my eyes.

“Then things happened. I opened the box. It wasn’t supposed to be, but I opened it. “Then your colleague intervened and wanted me to continue. He said all those words and I stopped him there.

“Maybe I should have said at that time, ‘he told me it was a red card’.

“The things I said, the things I felt at that time about Paul Tierney whistling our games, I’m very sure he’s not doing it intentionally, but we have a history and I don’t can’t deny it.

“I’m not a resentful person, not at all, but obviously those kinds of things that have happened in the past, in decisive games for us – whether we were involved or not – have happened. “It’s the feeling, nothing else. That’s what I said.

“I obviously know the referees were very angry at what I said and are doing it now. I heard that I lied and stuff like that.

“I did a lot of things that day, but I wasn’t lying.”