Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool. Six Premier League clubs could qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Result ? There will ultimately only be two left: Liverpool will challenge Paris Saint-Germain while Arsenal, who defeated Bayer Leverkusen, will face Sporting CP. A very meager record for a championship, considered for years as the locomotive of European football. And for good reason. If the Gunners, candidates for final victory, and the Reds, who continue to gain strength, have provided the essentials, the rest of the English teams have fallen seriously. Defeated 5 goals to 2 at the Parc des Princes last week, Chelsea confirmed their difficulties against the big European teams.
Tuesday evening, at Stamford Bridge, Liam Rosenior’s gang, far too fragile defensively and unable to realize their chances against the Parisians, took another slap. Final score: 3 goals to 0, or 8 goals to 2 in the double confrontation. And what can we say about Newcastle… Still in the race after 135 minutes (1-1 in the first leg, 3 goals to 2 for Barça at the break on the return leg), the Magpies were finally shattered. Led by Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, the Catalans, in fact, defeated the Toons after returning from the locker room, inflicting a violent 4 goals to 0 in just 45 minutes (and therefore 7 goals to 2 in the double confrontation).
2 out of 6 for the Premier League
Swept 3 goals to 0 in the first leg after a resounding hat-trick from Federico Valverde, Manchester City, for their part, never found the resources necessary to reverse the trend. Weighed down by a red from Bernardo Silva at the start of the match and a double from Vinicius Jr, the Skyblues also left the competition prematurely and against all expectations. Finally, a feat was needed for Tottenham. In the midst of a results crisis and on the brink of collapse in the league, Spurs were 3 goals behind to make up against Atlético de Madrid (defeat 5 goals to 2 in the first leg).
Yes, but despite a convincing first act – Igor Tudor’s men took the lead at the break (2-1) – and a final victory (3-2) thanks to a good Xavi Simons, the miracle did not happen. Ultimately, if His Majesty’s Kingdom will still be able to build on the prowess of Arsenal and Liverpool, the results are scary. During the round of 16 of the most prestigious European competition, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham conceded a total of 28 goals. A telling statistic, summarizing the nightmare year of the Premier League on the European scene.
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– UPDATE
