Dominik Szoboszlai has warned Liverpool that they could be in danger of missing out on European football altogether for next season if they continue to throw away points with costly late goals.
For the eighth time in this Premier League campaign, the Reds conceded a result-altering goal in the 90th minute or later this afternoon as Richarlison struck to ensure a share of the spoils for Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
It meant that, despite moving above Chelsea into fifth, Arne Slot’s side again missed an invitation to capitalise on dropped points for the team around them in the hunt to qualify for Europe’s primary club competition next term.
Szoboszlai’s anger was evident during his post-match interview with Sky Sports, and he couldn’t fathom why Liverpool were so flat after his latest free kick had given them the lead in the 18th minute.
The midfielder raged: “I don’t know, to be honest. Again in the last minute – I don’t know how many times it happened in the season already. We have to wake up because there’s eight games to go, and if we keep going like this, next season we should be happy if we play Conference League.”
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If – as seems likely – fifth place is enough to clinch a place in next season’s Champions League, Liverpool just need to hold their current position in order to qualify for the tournament.
However, with no more matches remaining against the current bottom six, and each of their direct rivals for a top-five finish still to play (as well as Brentford and Everton just beneath them), the Reds are at real risk of missing out on Europe’s elite competition for 2026/27.
The one Conference League berth from England is set to go to the team finishing seventh or eighth (depending on whether the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe), and if the Reds can’t even finish in those positions, they could have no complaints about not being in continental action next season.
The Toffees are currently eighth and six points behind Liverpool, so it’s not wholly implausible that Slot’s side could tumble that far down the table if they continue to throw away points late on in matches.
Szoboszlai’s scathing assessment must surely send a rocket of fear up every one of his teammates and his head coach. Goodness knows what European competition (if any) the Reds will have on their fixture list in 2026/27.
