How Premier League could still get fifth Champions League spot despite quarter-final disaster class

ASTON Villa’s penalty shoot-out win over Lille kept England’s flickering hopes of a fifth Champions League place next term alive.

But it will still take a minor miracle for the Prem to steal the last spot off Germany.

The Champions League exits suffered by Arsenal and Manchester City on Wednesday meant the heat was on Villa, West Ham and Liverpool to try to breathe life into the embers.

Despite Liverpool’s win at Atalanta on the night, the first leg deficit was too much to recover.

And Bayer Leverkusen’s late equaliser at the London Stadium meant the Hammers also bowed out.

Those results added 0.5 points to England’s tally, which now stands at 17.375 coefficient points, with the aggregate of 139 win, draw and bonus points divided by the eight teams that started the season in European competitions.

Leverkusen picked up a qualification bonus point in addition to the one for the draw, taking Germany’s tally to 17.928.

Villa also earned a single bonus for their shoot-out win in France.

It means, if Villa win both legs of the last four clash and also lift the trophy in Athens next month, they will take England’s total to 18.375 points.

But even then, Germany would need an absolute disaster for their three semi-final qualifiers to lose that fifth Champions League place.

Bayern Munich face Real Madrid in the Champions League semis, with Dortmund up against Paris Saint-Germain. Leverkusen, on the other hand, play Roma in the Europa League.

The trio need just two wins or a win and two draws between them, even if all three go out, to leave any chance of Villa depriving them from earning the extra place.

Even then, Unai Emery’s team would have to win both legs of their semi against Olympiacos and then triumph in the final in normal or extra-time.

If any of the Germans go through, they are guaranteed a minimum three points.

France could still snatch second but it would at a minimum require Marseille and PSG to win both legs of their respective semis and other results to go their way.