ROBBIE Fowler's double strike at Old Trafford, following hot on the heels of Manchester United's victory over Chelsea, has given the pack of clubs chasing the Premiership's big three a European boost.

And, despite Saturday's 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Everton, that includes Blackburn Rovers.

Ewood hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup are, admittedly, a long shot but not yet impossible, thanks to the fact that two of the teams likely to finish in the first three have reached the FA Cup final.

If Chelsea had gone on to win the FA Cup and finished well down the table, it would have eliminated one route to Europe for the top teams.

The target for rovers, with six games remaining, is obviously to finish as high as possible.

Realistically, that means fifth and, if the top four remain unchanged, that should be enough to snatch the final UEFA Cup place.

Even that might seem pie in the sky at the moment, in the wake of Saturday's defeat.

But people are still talking about Everton being among the contenders for qualification so Rovers - three points behind with a game in hand - must still be in with a chance themselves, however slim.

It's a complicated scenario but, barring any unforeseen and dramatic twists in the remaining games, here's how next season's European qualification should work out.

Logically, of the present top three, Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool, one is set for the Champions' League, one now for the Cup Winners Cup and the other the UEFA Cup. That leaves just the one UEFA Cup spot to be filled, as Aston Villa have already staked their claim by winning the Coca-Cola Cup.

If the top four teams remain the same at the end of the season - whatever the order - the side finishing fifth will take the other place in Europe.

It's tighter this year, following the reduction of England's allocation from four to three representatives following the Intertoto fiasco.

But, as long as the winners of the two domestic cup competitions come from the leading teams, which seems likely, it does enable qualification for Europe on league position to stretch as far down the Premiership as possible.

There is always a chance that UEFA, in their wisdom, might yet usher in more changes to their competitions in time for next season.

The suggested move of putting two clubs in the Champions League and/or the Cup Winners Cup, for example, would help others to go into the UEFA Cup.

But it has been said that any such changes won't take place just yet, if at all, and it would take an unexpected about-turn for anything to happen before the 1997-98 campaign.

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