Unless Liverpool manage to overtake Everton into fourth spot, that would leave the Football Association with the unenviable task of deciding between them providing the Reds win the trophy.

It appears likely that the FA board, with four Premier League members, would come down on Everton’s side.

However, there is a precedent in that Real Madrid were catapulted straight into the group stages in 2000-01 after winning the trophy but finishing fifth in their domestic league.

Not only did fourth-placed Real Zaragoza find themselves thrown into the UEFA Cup, but Valencia lost their automatic qualifying place.

Wenger, whose side could pay the same price if Rafael Benitez’s side are given an automatic spot, declared: “Liverpool are 31 points behind the leaders and have lost 13 league games this season.

“If a championship gives access to the Champions League, you have to respect the championship.

“The Champions League is a complete cup competition now. I don’t know why suddenly everyone wants to change the rules.”

Asked whether the top four should therefore qualify, he insisted: “Exactly - and I think, rightly so. If it’s called the Champions League, only Arsenal should be in it this season and next year maybe only Chelsea. But I can’t see the logic behind the team that finishes fifth or sixth qualifying.”

Wenger stressed Liverpool had not yet finished outside the top four or won the Champions League, arguing their semi-final first leg goalless draw at Chelsea still “suits” Jose Mourinho’s side.

However, he underlined the importance of automatic qualification for the Champions League, which second place in the Premiership normally carries.

Arsenal, who lead Manchester United by four points ahead of Monday’s trip to West Brom, want to avoid the scenario in which Newcastle lost a Champions League qualifier last season.

“When you finish second, you can say you are in the Champions league next season, When you’re third, you cannot say that. It is as simple as that,” he said.

“What is changing now is that the Eastern Bloc countries have developed economically, they buy Brazilian players, and the qualification round becomes more difficult.

“It also disrupts your preparation and the start of your season. So it is a massive difference between second and third, but we know it is far from being done so every point now is important.”

Everton boss David Moyes side-stepped the issue, insisting it is still “hypothetical“, while the FA are also postponing any decision until after the semi-final second leg at Anfield.

Should Liverpool beat Chelsea to reach the final in Istanbul on May 25, however, the matter will have to be dealt with by the FA’s professional game board.

That is made up of Dave Richards (Premier League), David Dein (Arsenal vice-chairman), Rupert Lowe (Southampton), Phil Gartside (Bolton), David Sheepshanks (Ipswich) and Peter Heard (Colchester).

The majority of them are understood to believe that the fourth-placed Premiership team should qualify, whatever the circumstances, and any appeals to UEFA for an extra spot seem doomed to failure.

UEFA communications director William Gaillard also said: “The position of UEFA is that a club qualifies for the Champions League through the national league competition.

“We have had situations in the past where we have played the European Championships without the holders.

“It is something we have contemplated and we wouldn’t have a second thought about it. We don’t feel the competition would be damaged, otherwise we would have put it in the rules for the holders to defend the trophy.”