Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah expressed his disappointment at the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven seasons. Instead, Manchester United secured the final spot in the Premier League top four on Thursday with a resounding 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Chelsea.
Liverpool have suffered a significant dip in form this season after coming quite close to reaching the top four last year. Their push came a little too late as ten-game unbeaten run has only earned them a fifth place and Europa League football the next edition.
Salah, who joined the club in 2017 and recorded 30 goals in all competitions this season, regretted their poor performance and apologized for letting the fans down. The 30-year-old posted on his social media:
"I'm totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down."
Liverpool to miss Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season:
Liverpool, placed second in the Premier League to Manchester City last season by one point, have struggled with injuries and inconsistent play this year. Liverpool had a great final stretch, winning eight of their last nine games, but they fell short of Manchester United and Newcastle in the race for the top-four spot.
Since the 2016–17 season, Liverpool will not be part of the Champions League for the first time. Liverpool's season will come to an end with a trip to a Southampton team that has already been demoted, allowing manager Jurgen Klopp to shuffle his lineup after their fifth-place result was confirmed.
