Bournemouth’s dramatic victory over Arsenal in Saturday’s evening kick-off has kept the door open for a rare piece of European history. ..Continue Reading
Having suffered home and away defeats to the Cherries this season—first with a 2-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium in October and then Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at the Emirates—Arsenal’s dropped points against Andoni Iraola’s unpredictable side could play a pivotal role in an unprecedented scenario.
The Gunners now sit just seven points above Nottingham Forest in sixth, with a game in hand, while Chelsea in fifth and Aston Villa in seventh are also within striking distance. Manchester City and Newcastle United remain even closer in the race for European qualification.
While unlikely, Arsenal remains at theoretical risk of falling outside the top five, which would see them miss out on an automatic Champions League spot, despite securing an extra berth for England with their 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
If that unlikely outcome unfolds, the Premier League could end up with seven teams in next season’s competition.
The league’s top five teams would take the standard qualifying spots, with Arsenal being the exception as the only club still competing in Europe.
Should Arsenal drop out of the top five but go on to win the Champions League, they would automatically qualify as title holders, bringing England’s total to six representatives.
Additionally, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, despite struggling domestically, are on course to meet in an all-English Europa League final. The winner of that clash would also qualify for the Champions League as Europa League champions, increasing the total to seven English teams.
United’s Europa League triumph in 2016-17 had a historic impact, as it secured their place in the Champions League and marked the first season where five Premier League clubs competed in the group stage.
That year, United, Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City all reached the round of 16, making England the first nation to have five teams advance that far in the tournament.
