SAINTS’ hopes of playing European football next season took an unlikely twist yesterday to cap a disappointing weekend.

First off, they took the lead at Stoke City but ended up losing 2-1 on Saturday – the first time in the Premier League this season they had scored first and lost.

Then they saw Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham leapfrog them into the top six by winning 3-1 at Newcastle yesterday.

And Aston Villa added an extra twist in the battle for Europe by stunning Liverpool 2-1 to set up an FA Cup final against Arsenal next month.

If Villa go on and win the trophy, then the team that finishes seventh in the Premier League – currently Saints – won’t qualify for the Europa League.

If Arsenal retain the FA Cup and finish in the top four, then the seventh placed club will enter the Europa League.

Saints boss Ronald Koeman believes the battle for European football is set to go to the final day of the season.

He said: “You know better than I that it’s very difficult to beat the big ones in the Premier League because about the possibilities of the finances, and the players what they have and what they can buy, it’s always difficult.

“Still we are on a very good position and we know our level and we try to play good football.

“The best is to play out of that quality and then we will get possibilities to win games and to fight for a European place. That will be ended, I think, not earlier than the last game of the league.”

Before the Stoke game, Koeman had admitted his side probably had to win all of their remaining six matches to have a chance of making the Champions League.

The defeat at the Britannia Stadium was obviously a major dent in that, but Koeman was preferring to focus on what would still be a great achievement for the club.

“Sometimes I have to answer questions about Champions League football but I don’t like that because the distance to the fourth place is five points and maybe eight points,” said Koeman.

“We are fighting for a Europa League place and several times I spoke about that’s our Champions League. You have to see it like that.”