Jurgen Klopp says what Man Utd and Newcastle will be wishing for in Liverpool top-four battle

Jurgen Klopp told of his delight after Liverpool booked their spot in next season’s Europa League.

The Reds’ 3-0 victory over Leicester City ensured that they’ll finish in the Premier League top six - and be playing in Europe in 2023-24.

A quickfire Curtis Jones double and a fine Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick saw Liverpool claim seven successive victories at the King Power Stadium. It also puts them just a point behind both fourth-placed Manchester United and third-placed Newcastle United in the race for Champions League qualification.

Klopp admitted that he couldn’t see Liverpool even making the Europa League before their winning streak that started with a 6-1 thrashing of Leeds United on April 17.

And with two fixtures of the campaign remaining - against Aston Villa and Southampton respectively - the Reds supremo has urged his side to keep putting the pressure on in the race for the top four.

Asked if it was a relief that Liverpool have qualified for the Europa League at his post-match press conference, Klopp replied: “Massively. Six or seven weeks ago, I didn’t believe that could happen. What we lacked that time was consistency and there was only one chance to get in the situation we are in by winning pretty much all the football games. It’s crazy but that was the situation we were in.

"That’s good. We knew that before the game, we were qualified for the Europa League, which is absolutely great from where we were coming from. All the rest is not in our own hands but we know we have to win all of the games until the end of the season to have a chance.

“I’ve said it a couple of times, I’m pretty sure. Yes, [Man] United and Newcastle are not watching us, that’s all fine, but I was in a similar situation and you wish anyway that the opponent is losing and you have that kind of pressure off the shoulder. Our job is to keep the pressure but, again, it’s not likely. But this is still better than we could have expected 6-7 weeks ago.”