Why West Ham's Europa League win bodes well for Chelsea's European hopes – explained

West Ham defeated Freiburg 4-0 in their Europa League round of 16 second-leg tie go through to the quarter-final with a 5-1 aggregate win.

Elsewhere, Liverpool defeated Sparta Prague with an aggregate score of 11-2.

Arsenal and Man City have progressed to the quarter-final of the Champions League, while Aston Villa have made it to the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals.

These results matter for Chelsea because it is almost certain that the Premier League will have five Champions League spots instead of just four.

With the top-five clubs qualifying for the top competitions, the Europa League spots will be moved down to 6th and 7th-placed teams, while the 8th-placed team will get a Conference League spot.

Chelsea are currently 3 points off Brighton in 8th and 4 points off West Ham in 7th but have a game in hand over both teams.

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