Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits finishing third in the Premier League was "barely possible" a month ago.

An unbeaten 10-match run, the eighth win of which was secured with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace thanks to a double from Sadio Mane, not only secured Champions League football but lifted the Reds above Chelsea.

Klopp's side were seven points adrift of the top four prior to their run starting but 26 points from a possible 30 have ensured they will play in Europe's elite club competition again.

"It's big, come on. If someone told me five, six, eight weeks ago we can finish the season in third... it was out of reach, barely possible," said Klopp.

"Even when good things happened this season it didn't feel too good. Injuries followed us all season.

"Fighting through this and finishing here in third is the best lesson you could learn in life. From nowhere to the Champions League in five weeks is a massive achievement.

"It is great. It is outstanding. From outside you cannot really understand - because we are Liverpool, we have to perform, we have to fight through. We were constantly sorting problems.

"It was so nice we could use the last five, six weeks to give this season a proper turnaround and I am so happy for the Champions League that they don't have to play without us.

"Outstanding achievement from the boys. Man City rightly won the league this season; congratulations again but because we cannot be champions, it doesn't mean we can't have targets and the target was international (European) football."

Chelsea, despite losing 2-1 to Aston Villa today, managed to claim the fourth and final Champions League place because Leicester City were beaten at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Tuchel's side, who had Ben Chilwell on the scoresheet in reply to goals by Bertrand Traore and an Anwar El Ghazi penalty, had to rely on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who beat Leicester 4-2 away.

Chelsea meet Premier League champions Manchester City in the Champions League final in Porto, Portugal next weekend but wanted to secure their spot in the competition beforehand.

Leicester squandered the lead to lose 4-2 at home to Spurs as their Champions League dream was shattered on the final day for the second successive season.

Jamie Vardy converted two penalties to give Leicester 1-0 and 2-1 leads and, with Chelsea losing at Aston Villa, that would have been enough for Leicester to claim fourth spot.

But a 76th-minute own goal by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel gifted Spurs an equaliser and Gareth Bale, possibly in his last game for Tottenham on loan, rubbed salt into Leicester's wounds with two well-taken late goals.

Just like last term when a Champions League qualifying spot looked to be theirs for the taking, this season's FA Cup winners Leicester finished in fifth place and will have to content themselves with a Europa League campaign.

Victory left Tottenham in seventh and they will enter the inaugural Europa Conference League.