Manchester United progressed to the final of the FA Cup with a chaotic victory over Coventry City at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
After squandering a three-goal lead inside the final 25 minutes, United got the job done on penalties, winning 4-2. As a reward, they will face Manchester City in next month's final.
Progression to the final gives United an alternative route into Europe for the 2024/25 campaign, offering them a possible lifeline. With six league games left to play, the Reds are embroiled in a battle with a handful of other clubs to secure European qualification via their Premier League finishing position.
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United, who face Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, are currently seventh in the standings after a run of four league games without a victory. United last registered a league win on March 9, beating Everton 2-0.
With the number of games left continuing to run out, MEN Sport has taken a close look at the current situation in the race for Europe and how United could find a way into any of three competitions for next term.
The current state of play
Ahead of Wednesday night's clash with Sheffield United, the Reds are seventh in the table, locked on 50 points. They are behind sixth-placed Newcastle United on goal difference and two points ahead of eighth-placed West Ham United, who lost 5-2 to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Chelsea are one place further back, currently occupying ninth on 47 points. The Londoners have three games in hand on West Ham and one on United and Newcastle.
Looking further up the ladder, Tottenham Hotspur occupy fifth on 60 points, six points behind Aston Villa in fourth. The latter have played two games more than Spurs.
Who is set for Champions League qualification?
Regardless of what order they finish in, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are poised to claim first, second and third, meaning they will automatically qualify for next season's Champions League. Villa are in an encouraging position to retain fourth, though Spurs' two games in hand could make the situation interesting.
Regarding the possibility of the Premier League scooping a fifth Champions League spot, that is now increasingly unlikely after Arsenal, City, Liverpool and West Ham all exited Europe last week. The only way the Premier League can secure a fifth Champions League spot is by Villa winning the Europa Conference League and hoping the three German clubs (Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen) all lose their remaining games in the Champions League and Europa League respectively.
That, of course, is increasingly unlikely to happen, meaning only the Premier League's top four will compete in Europe's premier club competition in 2024/25.
What happens to fifth spot if the Premier League only get four Champions League places?
With the Premier League increasingly likely to get just four Champions League places, the club that finishes fifth will automatically qualify for the Europa League group stage for next term. Tottenham currently occupy that berth, with both Newcastle and United 10 points further back.
However, the Premier League gains an additional Europa League spot via the FA Cup, with the winners handed a spot in the competition. However, if, for example, City beat United in the FA Cup final, they will qualify for the Champions League because of their league finish, meaning the Europa League spot reserved for the FA Cup winners is then handed down to the sixth-placed Premier League side.
In that case, as things stand, Newcastle would qualify for the Europa League along with Spurs. United would qualify for the Europa League if they finished sixth, regardless of the outcome of the FA Cup final because they are facing City.
Who qualifies for the Europa Conference League?
The Premier League, before factoring in cup competitions, is awarded one Europa Conference League spot, which belongs to sixth. However, the winners of the Carabao Cup are awarded a qualification spot.
Because Liverpool won the Carabao Cup in February and are poised to finish inside the top four, that place is handed down to the next-best Premier League side. At this moment in time, Newcastle would scoop that position because they are sixth. However, they will earn a Europa League spot if City win the FA Cup, with a top four finish virtually guaranteed.
In that case, the Europa Conference League spot will be handed down to the side that finishes seventh, which, at this moment in time, will be United.
What about a bonus Europa League spot?
To complicate matters a little bit further, if Villa win the Europa Conference League - which will be renamed the UEFA Conference League next term - the Premier League will be awarded a bonus spot in the Europa League next season.
However, that only applies if Villa win the Europa Conference League and don't finish in either the Champions League or Europa League qualifying places. But considering they are currently six points clear of Spurs in fifth and 16 ahead of Newcastle in sixth, that is increasingly unlikely.
What is the best United can wish for?
While it is not mathematically over just yet, United can forget about qualifying for the Champions League for next season; they would have to win each of their last six matches and hope every other result went their way. It simply won't happen.
With that said, the best they can hope for is qualifying for the Europa League by finishing sixth, given they are 10 points behind fifth-placed Spurs. United will qualify for the Europa League if they win the FA Cup final, but defeat to City would mean they would have to finish sixth or above to avoid dropping down into the Conference League.
A seventh-placed finish would almost certainly guarantee qualifying for the latter. Anything below a seventh-placed finish will spell trouble.
In conclusion, United need to finish sixth in the table to secure themselves a place in the Europa League, regardless of what happens at Wembley against City, as City are almost nailed on to finish inside the top four. Finishing below sixth would put enormous pressure on the FA Cup final.
