Premier League giants Liverpool, who have been one of the more consistent teams in European football in the recent season, missed out on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in seven season. The same was confirmed after Manchester United secured the final place in the Premier League top four on Thursday (May 25). United beat Chelsea 4-1, a result which meant that the Red Devils will join Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle as the English teams in the most sought after continental competition next season.
The Reds sustained a dramatic slump in form this season. While they had come agonizingly close to an an unprecedented quadruple in the previous season, this time around despite a late-season rally which saw them stitch an unbeaten 10-game run ensured that they end up on the fifth position and thus only manage feature in the Europa football league next season.
Post the result, team's start forward Mohamed Salah said that there was no excuse for the team's failure to ensure a top four position in the league.
"I"m totally devastated," the Egypt International, who netted as many as 30 goals across competitions this season, said in a social media post.
"There's absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year's Champions League and we failed," he added.
"We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it's too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down," he further said.
It is pertinent to note that Liverpool had featured in the Champions League every season since Salah had been roped in by the club in 2017. While there were some speculation over his future at the club, he did put pen on paper to a new three-year deal with the Reds last year.