Steven Gerrard makes shock Everton claim as Liverpool and Chelsea warning sent

Everton boosted their chance of qualifying for Europe with a 2-0 home win over Burnley in the Premier League on Tuesday night

With nine games of the Premier League season left to play, Everton are very much in the mix for European football. Their 2-0 home win over Burnley on Tuesday night moved them within one point of seventh-placed Brentford, two of sixth-placed Chelsea, and five of defending champions and rivals Liverpool in fifth.

Yes, the Blues have a tricky run-in with home games to come against Chelsea, Liverpool and second-placed Manchester City after a trip to table-topping Arsenal next time out.

But if they can add further wins at Hill Dickinson Stadium, after a six-match league run without a one, and maintain their superb away form, then manager David Moyes could well achieve his ambition of taking the club back into Europe.

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With places in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League all up for grabs, it could get very exciting indeed for Evertonians.

And they have been backed to finish in the European places by the unlikely figure of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard, arguably the greatest player along with Kenny Dalglish in Anfield history and a scourge of the Blues in Merseyside derbies, was full of praise for Moyes and his old foes after they beat Burnley.

“Yeah, really good [season],” the former midfielder told TNT Sports. “David Moyes has been brilliant for Everton.

“They’ve done really well, I’m sure they’re going to sneak into the back door for those European places.

“We know he likes the Conference League. He’s done it before, so I think they are going to put the pressure on the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Brentford.”

While Brentford had to settle for a 0-0 draw at ninth-placed Bournemouth on Tuesday and Liverpool lost 2-1 at basement boys Wolves, Chelsea won 4-1 at Aston Villa on Wednesday to move above the title holders into fifth.

That means Everton are now five points behind Chelsea as well as Liverpool, who dropped to sixth as a result of the outcome at Villa Park.

Moyes' men return to action on March 14 away to Arsenal before hosting Chelsea and then travelling to Brentford and welcoming Liverpool to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time, in what is a four-match run that could ultimately decide their season.

Everton are exploring opportunities to hold a warm weather training camp abroad before the resumption of their Premier League duties, but they will not be heading to the Middle East, as they did last year.

Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, is understood to have been one location under consideration. Moyes took his players to the UAE for a similar excursion at the end of February last year.

But a trip to that area of the world has been ruled out after the outbreak of war over the weekend, when the USA and Israel launched air strikes on Iran.

The UAE is one of a number of states in the region that has since been hit in retaliatory action.

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