Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher looks on ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on January 19, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher believes it’s still unlikely that Liverpool will finish in top four this season despite their impressive win over Everton on Monday night.
Liverpool won the Merseyside derby at Anfield 2-0, thanks to strikes from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo – the latter finally scoring his first goal for the club.
It was the Reds’ first Premier League win of 2023 and moves them back up to ninth in the table, but they still lie nine points off the top four.
They’ll face stiff competition to climb up the table and finish in the Champions League spots, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle currently occupying them.
And that’s without mention all the other top-half teams who remain in the top four race, namely Tottenham, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford and Chelsea.
There’s still plenty of football left to play this season, and Carragher thinks that Saturday’s trip to Newcastle will prove decisive for Liverpool’s top four hopes.
‘[Jurgen] Klopp has just got to hope Liverpool can now go on and try to make some sort of fight for that top four position,’ the Reds legend said on Sky Sports.
‘I still think it’s a big outside chance for them to make top four. Liverpool’s next game away at Newcastle is vital.
‘If they get three points in that game then I think they are back in the equation. There’s still so long in the season to go.
‘Liverpool have certainly looked like their old selves for a lot of this game. Sometimes one big result in a big game can spark something. Could they have a Champions League run?’
With the league title out of reach and Liverpool out of both domestic cup competitions, many believe Klopp must go all-in to win the Champions League, not only to secure some silverware but as it would also qualify them for the competition next season regardless of their league position.
But winning the UCL will be far from easy, with the Reds set to take on Real Madrid, who beat them in last year’s final, in the round of 16 next week.
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Liverpool are nine points off the top four.
