Manchester United held at Sunderland
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Liverpool
missed the chance to all but secure Champions League action next season after a
1-1 draw against Chelsea, while Manchester United were frustrated in a goalless
stalemate at Sunderland on Saturday.
Ryan
Gravenberch's sweet strike gave Liverpool the perfect start in the sixth minute
at Anfield.
Chelsea hit
back when Enzo Fernandez's 35th-minute free-kick evaded everyone to find the
bottom corner.
Boos at
full-time reflected the mood around Anfield after another lacklustre performance
from the defending champions.
The result
inched fourth-placed Liverpool closer to Champions League qualification, with a
four-point lead over sixth-placed Bournemouth.
"I
do," said Slot on whether he thinks he can regain the fans' backing.
"Not
this season by the way. This season they will have their opinion and it will
not change.
"If we
can have the summer that we are planning to have, then I'm 100 percent
convinced that we will be a different team next season than we are now."
Chelsea can
no longer mathematically finish in the top five and remain in ninth.
The Blues
had lost six consecutive Premier League games to fall out of contention for a
top-five place prior to the trip to Merseyside.
But a more
obdurate performance provided some encouragement for interim boss Calum
McFarlane to take into next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Manchester
United are already assured of Champions League football following their win
over Liverpool last weekend.
Michael
Carrick's third-placed side have little left to play for in and it showed in a
dour affair at the Stadium of Light.
It was the
first time United had failed to score in a league game since November.
Bournemouth
remain in contention for a stunning Champions League place after winning 1-0 at
Fulham.
Bournemouth's
Ryan Christie was sent off late in the first half after his booking for an ugly
foul on Timothy Castagne was upgraded to a red card following a VAR check.
Fulham
defender Joachim Andersen was also dismissed before the interval after another
VAR intervention turned referee Andy Madley's initial booking for a foul on Adrien
Truffert into a red card.
Brazilian
teenager Rayan won the game for Bournemouth in the 53rd minute with a fine
finish from just outside the penalty area.
The
Cherries, unbeaten in their last 16 league matches, are aiming to qualify for
Europe for the first time their history.
Brighton
bolstered their bid to qualify for Europe with a 3-0 win against Wolves at the
Amex Stadium.
Jack
Hinshelwood nodded Brighton in front after 37 seconds and Lewis Dunk's header
doubled their advantage in the fifth minute.
Yankuba
Minteh's 86th-minute rocket completed the rout of already-relegated Wolves.
With two
games to play, Fabian Hurzeler's side sit seventh, two points behind
Bournemouth.
A
sixth-place finish will bring either Champions League or Europa League
qualification.
If Aston
Villa finish fifth, their current position, and beat Freiburg in the Europa
League final, then sixth place will secure a Champions League berth.
Manchester
City host Brentford in Saturday's late game as they look to close the gap on
leaders Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola's
second-placed side are five points behind Arsenal, who travel to third-bottom
West Ham on Sunday.
City have a
game in hand on Arsenal but the destiny of the title is no longer in their
hands after their damaging 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday.
Arsenal, who
have also reached the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, will
seal their first English title for 22 years if they win their last three games.

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