West Ham United has given Liverpool a boost in the Premier League title race
Liverpool have been handed a Premier League title boost after West Ham United were eliminated in the Europa League semi-finals.
The Hammers were trailing Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on aggregate after losing the first leg at the London Stadium, and they lost 1-0 against the Bundesliga outfit in Germany to miss out on a final appearance and end their European campaign for the season.
If David Moyes' side had won the Europa League, they would have qualified for the Champions League the following season. However, their best chance of qualifying for Europe remains through league position, and as a result, they must finish the season strongly or risk failing to qualify.
West Ham currently sit seventh in the table, three points ahead of Wolves despite having played one more game, and a position like this earns them a spot in the Europa Conference League next season. They do, however, have a game in hand on sixth-placed Manchester United, so they still have a chance to overtake the Red Devils and qualify for next season's Europa League with three games remaining.
On May 15, West Ham will host Premier League leaders Man City in one of their final three games, with the Hammers arguably the toughest test left for Pep Guardiola's men as they look to win the title.
If Moyes' side had advanced to the Europa League final, the game against City at home would have been their last final game ahead of the match, The Premier League has already granted their request to move the kick-off time to 2pm to allow them more time to prepare for a possible final appearance. Meanwhile, the former Everton and Manchester United manager would have undoubtedly rotated his squad, with them inevitably distracted by the prospect of silverware.
However, after missing out on the Europa League final, West Ham must now finish strongly in the Premier League if they are to qualify for Europe again next season. As a result of their departure, City's task of collecting maximum points at the London Stadium has become more difficult.
Guardiola's team currently leads Liverpool by one point in the Premier League title race with four games remaining, with the Reds needing City to drop points in order to win the title.
Meanwhile, West Ham won at home against Tottenham, Liverpool, and Chelsea in the first half of the season, and they beat Manchester City on penalties in the League Cup after a 0-0 draw at the London Stadium.
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