The9

Liverpool's late goal makes very little difference to us across the vast majority of possible outcomes. A Saints win Sunday and they can't catch us equaliser tonight or not. A Saints draw and they win and we can't catch them equaliser tonight or not. A Saints draw and they draw and it doesn't make any difference A Saints draw and they lose and it doesn't matter A Saints defeat and they win and that equaliser makes no difference A Saints defeat by one goal, and they draw and the positions remain the same too. In fact, that Benteke goal only matters to Saints if we lose by more than one goal and Liverpool draw. And tbh if we lose I'm comfortable saying it was our fault and nothing to do with a late Benteke equaliser.

We have a new Kirk From Corrie!

It becomes Liverpool's CL slot.

Liverpool's EL Final result is irrelevant, they can only stop us qualifying by finishing above us in the League.

Because we're above them. And if we were below them they would have, and they can't pass it onto anyone else by winning the EL. And that's kinda the point.

Stoke v West Ham live is probably the main match that matters in this scenario, more likely to be close fought than the others.

Doesn't make any difference to us unless we're planning on losing and Liverpool win on the weekend anyway.

Ok, there is a slight chance it isn't. If we beat Palace... we need either a Man U defeat at home to Bournemouth or West Ham not to beat Stoke, or Man U to beat Palace in the Cup Final.

Yeah, well, that IF Man U and West Ham both win as well.

Awesome, it's (nearly) in our hands.

Erm, one goal...

Liverpool need 2 goals in 2 minutes or a Saints win on Sunday all but guarantees us Europa League.

He was interfering with the defence and keeper's positioning, which is specifically why they changed the bloody interpretation in the summer. Even if he hadn't gone towards the ball he was offside, and when he went towards the ball he was offside by the definitions from the previous 4 or so years too.

Not as important as a West Ham loss - Man U finishing 5th means the next Prem place through the League would be for EL Group stages provided they also won the FA Cup, whilst West Ham being 5th means the next EL Prem place would be 3rd Qualifying Round because the FA Cup winner would get the other Group stage place.

I've just assumed the officials ignore the laws and interpretations since I saw the first Spurs goal on the weekend.

His video of about 6 other players all sodding about on their phones getting some good video during the bus attack wasn't exactly the kind of response you expect either, they must have been confident in their windows or their numbers, anyway.

You just said Liverpool won the EL and came 7th, and then by your logic 8th would get the "last Europa spot". But Liverpool winning the EL converts their EL spot into a CL spot and the EL spot doesn't get passed on to anyone else. So only 5th and 6th get an EL spot and Liverpool in 7th get a CL one (along with the top 4), and that's it.

The only way the team coming 8th will be in the EL is if Man U lose to Bournemouth, Liverpool win twice, Saints win, West Ham win and Man U win the FA Cup - and even then they won't have qualified due to coming 8th.

If we come 7th and behind West Ham and Liverpool we won't qualify for Europe because that would see Man U 8th and the winner of the FA Cup (either way) getting directly into the EL as they won't have qualified via the League. Liverpool have to win tonight for that to be possible.

Europa League result has no bearing at all on Saints getting into Europe, the only EL place Liverpool can lose by winning the Europa League Final is their own.

Spot on. The 3rd Qualifying Round and Group stage stuff is covered by the flow chart too.

I love that flow chart, especially the bit at the bottom. The Europa League Final result is completely irrelevant to everyone except Liverpool. Oh, and Sevilla I guess.

I'd like to know how we would finish above West Ham and Liverpool and come 7th. If we finish behind Man U and West Ham with Liverpool 8th we're ok but it depends on Man U winning the FA Cup, if we finish behind Man U and Liverpool with West Ham 8th, same thing, but we can't finish below both of them and qualify for Europe because the FA Cup winner gets an EL place and in that case 7th won't because 5th and 6th will be (in either order) West Ham and Liverpool (whose EL winning CL place doesn't open up an EL place for anyone else). 8th will qualify for Europe if Man U are 8th and win the FA Cup, but it won't have anything to do with the League places.

*want, not need, if we're 6th. Also if we come 7th and Man U 8th, it doesn't matter who wins the FA Cup, we're screwed either way because Liverpool and West Ham get the other EL places (unless Liverpool get a CL place from winning the EL, in which case that EL place disappears).

We want to finish above Liverpool whatever they do in the Europa, because... If they have a Europa place via the League and win the EL, it is converted into a CL place and not passed onto anyone else in the Prem. So 7th won't be good enough. If they have an EL place and don't win the EL Final they keep the EL place - one fewer place for us to get, and if we finish below West Ham as well we will miss out on Europe because the other place will be either Man U via League position or whoever is the FA Cup winner. If they haven't got a Europa place we're above them and we have one, and whether they win the EL or not doesn't affect us because the only way an EL qualification place is lost is if Liverpool have one already and win the EL.