Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United receive major boost with key Champions League reward confirmed

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are among the clubs that have received a major boost to their Champions League qualification hopes.

That is because the Premier League have been awarded an extra qualification spot for the second consecutive season.

The strong performance of the Premier League teams in the league phases of the three European competitons meant the English top flight was in a strong position to secure a top-two spot in the European Performance Spot (EPS) table.

The additional qualification place has now been confirmed following Arsenal's 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.

Kai Havertz came off the bench to net a late winner in Portugal, giving the Gunners a narrow lead in the Champions League quarter-final tie ahead of next week's second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

England's strong coefficient scores mean that the top five of the Premier League will feature in next season's Champions League league phase.

Premier League clubs receive Champions League boost

As it stands, that would mean Champions League football for Arsenal, Manchester City, Man United, Aston Villa and Liverpool.

Chelsea may be sitting in sixth position in the Premier League table, but they now stand a better chance of securing Champions League football than if there were four qualification spots.

That is because Liam Rosenior's side are just one point adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool, compared to the six-point gap between themselves and Aston Villa.

Brentford and Everton will also be dreaming of making a surprise bid for Champions League qualification, with just three points separating them from the top five.

Ninth-placed Fulham are five points adrift of Liverpool with seven games to play, while Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland are six points away from the Champions League spots.

How could seven Premier League clubs achieve UCL qualification?

As per BBC Sport, there is a way in which seven Premier League teams could feature in next season's Champions League.

The team in seventh would qualify for the Champions League if Aston Villa and Liverpool finish in fifth and sixth position and win the Europa League and Champions League respectively.

If one of Aston Villa and Liverpool wins a European trophy and finishes in fifth position, then the team that finishes in sixth place will feature in the Champions League league phase.

In regard to the other EPS place, Spain are currently in a strong position to join England in receiving an extra qualification spot.

However, they still have work to do to fend off competition from Germany and Portugal, who are in third and fourth place, respectively, in the UEFA coefficient table.

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