Everton are three points behind Merseyside rivals Liverpool. The fight for Champions League football appears to be turning into the race that no-one wants to win.

For the second year in a row, it is all but certain that the top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. But shock defeats and inconsistency mean the form of the so-called top sides is falling off a cliff.

Defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea have opened the door for a team to come out of left-field and clinch a coveted Champions League place. Could it be Everton? Brentford? Even Fulham, 10th-placed Brighton and teams below remain in touch.

Arsenal are on track to win the Premier League, with only Manchester City putting up a meagre attempt to stay in the race. That leaves three Champions League spots up for grabs with Manchester United (55 points), Aston Villa (51) and Liverpool (49) currently occupying those places.

Only Arsenal and City are unbeaten in their past six Premier League games, with the teams below them all struggling to find consistency. Manchester United top the Premier League's form table for the past 10 games, winning 23 points. They are enjoying a resurgence under Michael Carrick and remain in a strong position in terms of Champions League qualification, but victory in Friday's 2-2 draw at Bournemouth would have closed the gap to Manchester City to four points before the international break.

Aston Villa have the longest winning run of all the top-flight teams this season, winning eight in a row between November and December. Their results have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, with Unai Emery's side losing three successive matches as their grip on third place loosened.

Defending champions Liverpool have lost 10 Premier League games in a season for the first time since 2015-16 and defeat by Brighton meant Arne Slot's side missed out on the chance to leapfrog Villa into fourth. "There is always pressure at Liverpool, on me and the players," Slot said after the game. "That is completely normal. We need to make sure that in the end we qualify for the Champions League."

Everton have competed sporadically in Europe throughout the 21st century, most recently in 2017-18 when they featured in the Europa League. They have not featured in the Champions League proper since 1970-71, when it was known as the European Cup.

But eighth in the Premier League, just three points off the top five with seven league games to go, the Toffees are in serious contention to not only compete in Europe but perhaps even reach the continent's top competition.

Manager David Moyes was keen not to get carried away with the idea of Champions League football at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but did not shy away from what being in Europe would mean to the club.

"I'd love to say it was [a possibility] as I'm trying to be more positive than I would normally be, but for Everton to even be in the mix for Europe is unbelievable, whether it is Conference League or Champions League," Moyes said. "We were sitting here last year just beginning to edge ourselves away from relegation and still had lots of money to pay off, new ownership and 10 or 12 players out of contract - so for us to be in the position we are now is just great.

"I can imagine, if we could possibly do it, what it would do for the crowds here as Evertonians are desperate to get back amongst it."

Champions League football might have seemed like a far-away dream for a club who have spent more time trying to avoid relegation in recent seasons, but under Moyes they have enjoyed a resurgence that has almost made that dream a reality. Speaking to BBC Sport the Scot said a top-10 finish would be a "really good year" and that they will "try and give ourselves a chance of getting in the European competitions".

Before Monday's draw with Wolves, Brentford played a video on screens around Gtech Community Stadium showing pre-season predictions from pundits, including Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, who said the Bees would be involved in a relegation battle after losing Thomas Frank to Tottenham. The video ended by playing lyrics from Stormzy's song Shut Up, with those two words displayed in giant letters across the screen.

Under Keith Andrews, Brentford have largely done their talking on the pitch. Rather than looking over their shoulders in the relegation battle, they have written their name into the conversation for European qualification - something never done in the club's history.

The Bees could not capitalise on teams above them dropping points on Saturday, the goalless draw a missed opportunity to go level on points with Chelsea and edge closer to securing not only a spot in Europe, but a push for the Champions League places. "It's tight," Andrews said after the game. "The league is pretty condensed in that part. Seven to go.

"We have done unbelievably well to get where we are in the league. We deserve to be where we are and it'll take a mammoth effort to stay there. Everything we can give, we will give, like they do all the time. The intentions are always good from our players. They are always positive, embrace the occasion and challenge and I would expect it'll lift them for the last seven games."