Liverpool vs. Arsenal: How Liverpool Can Still Qualify for the Champions League

Even though Liverpool suffered a crushing 2-1 defeat to Arsenal Saturday at Anfield, a glimmer of hope remains in their quest to qualify for Champions League football next season.

The Reds are 10 points behind the Gunners, who currently sit in the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Premier League table.

Chelsea is in fifth with 46 points after they failed to earn a positive result after a terrible 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Even though the road to the top four will be a difficult one for Liverpool to conquer, they do have a match in hand on Chelsea and Arsenal, and have a very easy league schedule to finish the season.

Other than a derby match against rival Everton, the only challenging matches remaining for Liverpool of the 12 they have left are against Newcastle and Chelsea, who happen to be the two teams directly above them in the table.

If Liverpool can take care of business against inferior opponents, then they will have a good shot at gaining some serious ground on Chelsea and Arsenal.

Chelsea has been so inconsistent this season, and their inevitable exit from the Champions League next week will surround the club with a lot of negativity. The Blues may also have a new manager if Andre Villas-Boas is sacked without finishing one full season at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal have also been quite inconsistent this year, and even though their last two matches were impressive wins against Tottenham and Liverpool, the Gunners have lost to inferior opponents like Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City this season too.

The key for Liverpool is capitalizing on their scoring chances, because their inability to finish some amazing chances at goal on Saturday cost them three points versus Arsenal.

Ten points will be a lot for Liverpool to overcome over the last few months of the season, but luckily for them, the clubs in front of them also have issues that make their own chances of qualifying for the Champions League far from certain.

Follow @NicholasGoss35