Nine teams, four spots - Premier League set for European scramble

Breaking news from the world of sport: Nine teams, four spots - Premier League set for European scrambleImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Brighton, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Brentford are among teams still in contention for a place in EuropeByAdwaidh RajanBBC Sport journalistPublished51 minutes agoThe Premier League title and relegation fights might be dominating the headlines, but the race for Europe is proving to be an equally chaotic and enthralling battle this season. Heading into the final day, nine teams still remain hopeful of securing European football with four spots still up for grabs across the three Uefa competitions. Four teams have guaranteed a top-five finish and thereby Champions League football with Liverpool currently favourites to claim fifth place and secure their own spot in the competition.

But Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, Sunderland, Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton and – mathematically a least – Fulham will all enter the final weekend with a chance of securing some sort of European football, meaning the fight will go down to the wire. The permutations might be pretty complicated, but the objective for all nine contenders will be simple on 24 May - win their final game no matter what. Penultimate matchday offers more drama Figure caption, Leeds win it late as Brighton's Europa League hopes dealt big blowThe games played so far in the penultimate set of Premier League fixtures have delivered more drama to leave European qualification further tangled.

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Seventh-placed Brighton could have guaranteed a place in Europe with a win at Leeds United but instead Dominic Calvert-Lewin's dramatic late winner severely dented their chances. Brentford missed out on an opportunity to move above the Seagulls after settling for an equally enthralling 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace to stay eighth. Sunderland have pulled themselves back into contention with a stunning 3-1 victory against fellow hopefuls Everton, leapfrogging the Toffees into ninth.

There was also a 3-1 win for Newcastle who kept their faint hopes alive by defeating relegation-threatened West Ham to move level on points with 10th-placed Chelsea, who face Tottenham on Tuesday. Fulham, 13th, ground out a 1-1 draw against bottom side Wolves. Mathematically, they can still finish eighth and secure European football but their realistic hopes are over given they would require a huge goal difference swing even if all results went in their favour.

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The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.