Yahoo Finance Deja vu for Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City as Premier League top four race swings to Chelsea and Liverpool
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers admits missing out on Champions League football for a second year in a row would be "really disappointing" after Chelsea brought the FA Cup winners back down to earth with a bump at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester enjoyed one of the best days in the club's history on Saturday as a Youri Tielemans wonder goal earned a 1-0 FA Cup Final triumph over Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea.
The Foxes may have lifted silverware in the capital at Chelsea's expense, but their Premier League clash with the Blues at Stamford Bridge was unquestionably the more lucrative game given Champions League qualification was at stake.
With Liverpool lying in wait, Tuchel's men saw off Leicester 2-1 in front of thousands of overjoyed Chelsea fans. The result means Liverpool will leapfrog Leicester into fourth place on goal difference should they beat Burnley on Wednesday, leaving Rodgers' Foxes with it all to do in a tough final-day fixture against Tottenham.
Leicester missed out on a top-four finish last season after losing to Manchester United on the final day, and it looks like it could be more disappointment for Rodgers’ men unless results go their way on Sunday.
Following the defeat at the Bridge, Rodgers told Sky Sports: "It was a very hard fought game. We're obviously disappointed with the goals. We conceded a needless corner and didn't pick up well enough. The penalty is very, very, very, harsh. It's one that we will learn from.
"My players gave everything and I'm so proud of them. We're playing against a top side with top players. We'll recover and get ready for the weekend now."
Rodgers continued: "It's over 38 games. We've won so many big games this season. We just missed out in a few details tonight but overall the players have given me absolutely everything. Now we can recover for a few days."
Regarding the top four race, Rodgers said: "Liverpool have a couple of games. Chelsea have a tough game away at Aston Villa. I've always said we just need to concentrate on ourselves.
"We're still in that top four and we've got one more game to go. If we win it and it's still not enough for us we have to accept that. It's still been a great season."
While Champions League football - and the accompanying financial boost - could take Leicester to the next level, Rodgers was reflective given the Foxes’ performance on a tighter budget than many of their rivals.
"[To miss out] would be really disappointing,” he added. “But our story and your story is different.
“If we just fall short after 38 games as the team with the eighth biggest budget, it shows we fought really hard and just missed out. There are still points to play for and we'll be ready for that."
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