Jurgen Klopp makes Europa League admission as Liverpool’s Champions League hopes evaporate

Jurgen Klopp has admitted Liverpool have not deserved to qualify for next season’s Champions League after their slim hopes of finishing in the top four were all but ended by Aston Villa.

Roberto Firmino scored a last-minute equaliser in his final appearance as a Reds player to earn Klopp’s men a share of the spoils and to keep their hopes mathematically alive. However, Liverpool required either Newcastle United or Manchester United to lose both their final two matches of the campaign, while winning their own final match of the season away at Southampton.

Speaking after his side’s draw with Villa, Klopp admitted he is already looking forward to next season when he conceded the Reds hadn’t deserved to finish in the top four.

“I think the whole season is a season where we qualify for the Europa League and not for Champions League,” he told reporters. “We were too long not good enough or ourselves.

“I think we made it pretty exciting. I didn’t think that was possible seven weeks ago. The boys did really well in that period.

“I think our people enjoyed it as well. You could see today they were not angry with us, looking forward to a new Premier League season and Europa League season, and so do I, though we still have a game to play.”

Meanwhile, Klopp also admitted his side hadn’t been good enough in their first half showing against Aston Villa as he explained how Liverpool fought back to earn a share of the spoils.

“First there is a super important game,” he said, referencing to the post-match send-off afforded to Firmino and another Reds departees James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. “This part of the day (the game) was, first half, not great, I would say.

“We were too much in a rush. And in both departments, with the ball without the ball. Our pressing was not good. You could see what we want but the timing was, wow. Who was where? That was not helpful.

“We played in their hands. They had their moments in the game and are a good team, obviously. They get the penalty, score their goal.

“It was clear in the second half we have to calm down. Increase the pressure but calm down the right areas. That’s what we did.

“You could see the game was super intense as well. They were really done in the second half, so we could create our moments.

“We scored a goal which was disallowed and scored a goal which was allowed so it is a draw and that is okay.”