Liverpool's season may be drawing to a close, with four Premier League games to go, but the drama lives on for Jurgen Klopp's men.

The Reds have made life difficult for themselves this season, with defeats to Burnley, Bournemouth, Swansea, Hull and Leicester ending their challenge for the title. And Liverpool's 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday took their top-four chances out of their own hands.

It's been those shock defeats to teams the Reds were expected to beat that has damaged Klopp's first full season in charge of Liverpool, and their FA Cup exit to Wolverhampton Wanderers in January exemplified their issues against the lesser teams.

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But the Reds' defeat to a resurgent Palace side, who have won four of their last six games and escaped the threat of relegation, could come back to haunt Klopp, who had started the season in brilliant fashion.

Liverpool seemed almost untouchable in the first half of the season, losing just twice going into the new year, but their collapse in the early part of 2017 ended Klopp's hopes of bringing his first piece of silverware to Anfield.

And now the club's Champions League hopes have, regrettably, been put into their bitter rivals Manchester United's hands, with the Red Devils currently three points behind third-placed Liverpool, but with two games in hand.

Manchester clubs boast advantage

Manchester City are just two points behind, also boasting two games in hand, but the real fight will be with United who are competing on two fronts - as they prepare to face Celta Vigo in the Europa League semi-finals.

However, despite United's top-four hopes being in their own hands, former Reds manager and now Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has backed his former club to qualify for the Champions League due to United's congested run-in to the end of the season.

"With the games Liverpool have left they would expect themselves to qualify," Rodgers told TalkSport, per the Daily Mail.

"They haven't got European football, so they're just preparing for that one game a week.

Schedule may favour Reds

"Manchester United have got a couple of games in hand, but towards the end of the season that can be tough and they've got other games [with their two-legged Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo] and maybe they'll see other priorities.

"Liverpool have points in the bag, they've won more games and if they win their next four games or so hopefully that'll be enough for them."

The Reds face Watford, Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough in their remaining fixtures, while United head to City for the Manchester derby on Thursday, with trips to Arsenal and Tottenham amongst their Europa League commitments.

And United will have to go about business without top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is out for nine months with knee ligament damage.

Time will only tell if Liverpool's costly defeats to the Premier League's smaller clubs will cost them their return to Europe's elite club competition.