Mauricio Pochettino has just helped Liverpool earn £180m windfall

Liverpool will make their return to the Champions League next season after a one-year absence with a top-four finish guaranteed after Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.

Goals in each half from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson handed Spurs their third-straight loss and ensured Liverpool can now finish no lower than fourth. Spurs still have a chance to chase down Villa in fourth while the Reds realistically need just one more point to finish above Villa due to a far superior goal difference. Any dropped points from Villa will also ensure the Reds clinch third or higher as the two sides meet on Monday, May 13.

Data experts at Opta predict Liverpool will finish third this season, with their statistical model giving the Reds a 97.3 per cent chance of ending the season in their current spot. They host Tottenham Hotspur this weekend before ending the campaign with a trip to Villa and a home game against Wolves.

It means LFC are set to earn a huge chunk of prize money from the Premier League, as well as from UEFA. Reaching the Champions League group stage was worth £13.37m in the 2023-24 season, with that figure likely to increase for 2024-25 with a new format which sees 36 clubs enter the competition which is an increase from the 32 that has become the norm. There will now be eight group stage games instead of six with each side playing four home games and four away games.

The top eight finishers in the league phase go into the last 16 while teams placed between ninth and 24th will contest a two-legged play-off to earn a spot in the last 16. With at least £13.37m coming from UEFA, Liverpool are also set to pocket at least £165m in prize money from the Premier League.

That figure is based on a merit payment for finishing third, along with an equal share payment and facility fees for hosting TV games. The £165m is based on last season's figure and therefore on the low side of the estimate with merit and equal share payments likely to increase while Liverpool are set to receive 27 sets of facility fees. They have appeared on TV 25 times this season, with their games against Tottenham and Villa also selected for broadcast.