
The Premier League’s chances of receiving a fifth Champions League spot next season have been reduced by almost 30 per cent, after Liverpool and West Ham United fell to defeat in their Europa League quarter-final first legs.
Liverpool surprisingly lost 3-0 at home to Atalanta, with West Ham suffering a 2-0 reverse at Bayer Leverkusen, and both results could yet prove critical in England’s bid to secure five places in the Champions League group stage next term.