Liverpool and Everton's next five games compared to Man United, Chelsea and other top four rivals

After what has become widely accepted as Liverpool’s worst unbeaten run in their history came to an end, the fight for Arne Slot to secure Champions League football next season became an awful lot harder.

Manchester United and Chelsea have changed manager with Michael Carrick overseeing two impressive wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, it might just be a new manager bounce, but they are very much back in the hunt.

United are showing an organisation and clarity of game plan that Slot could do with if he is to keep his job. This Premier League season has seen every team seemingly being capable of beating every other team, aside from those at the bottom of the table, which makes the next run of games even more difficult to predict.

Race for Champions League places hots up

Liverpool have been consistently inconsistent in that even in victory they have sometimes looked shorn of confidence and almost like they just want this season to end, go on holiday, and start afresh next season. Just four points separates fourth place to 11th with United and Everton bookmarking these positions. It wouldn’t take much to drift into mid-table obscurity.

The performance of English teams in Europe might see fifth place be enough for Champions League football, but there are a lot of teams in the mix. A run of good results could split the pack, but who has the easiest next five games?

Champions League contenders’ next five league fixtures

Manchester United

• vs. Fulham (H) - Sunday, February 1

• vs. Tottenham Hotspur (H) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. West Ham United (A) - Tuesday, February 10

• vs. Everton (A) - Monday, February 23

• vs. Crystal Palace (H) - Sunday, March 1

Chelsea

• vs. West Ham United (H) - Saturday, January 31

• vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Leeds United (H) - Tuesday, February 10

• vs. Burnley (H) - Saturday, February 21

• vs. Arsenal (A) - Sunday, March 1

Liverpool

• vs. Newcastle United (H) - Saturday, January 31

• vs. Manchester City (H) - Sunday, February 8

• vs. Sunderland (A) - Wednesday, February 11

• vs. Nottingham Forest (A) - Saturday, February 21

• vs. West Ham United (H) - Saturday, February 28

Fulham

• vs. Manchester United (A) - Sunday, February 1

• vs. Everton (H) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Manchester City (A) - Wednesday, February 11

• vs. Sunderland (A) - Sunday, February 22

• vs. Tottenham Hotspur (H) - Sunday, March 1

Brentford

• vs. Aston Villa (H) - Saturday, January 31

• vs. Newcastle United (A) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Arsenal (H) - Saturday, February 14

• vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - Saturday, February 21

• vs. Burnley (A) - Saturday, February 28

Newcastle United

• vs. Liverpool (A) - Saturday, January 31

• vs. Brentford (H) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Tottenham Hotspur (A) - Tuesday, February 10

• vs. Man City (A) - Saturday, February 21

• vs. Everton (A) - Saturday, February 28

Sunderland

• vs. Burnley (H) - Monday, February 2

• vs. Arsenal (A) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Liverpool (H) - Wednesday, February 11

• vs. Fulham (H) - Sunday, February 22

• vs. Bournemouth (A) - Saturday, February 28

Everton (after Leeds United on January 26)

• vs. Brighton (A) - Saturday, January 31

• vs. Fulham (A) - Saturday, February 7

• vs. Bournemouth (H) - Tuesday, February 10

• vs. Manchester United (H) - Monday, February 23

• vs. Newcastle United (A) - Saturday, February 28