English teams excel in final League Phase matches

That means five of the six English participants managed to finish inside the top eight amongst European football’s finest! As long as this format is in use, you may never see a country repeat that again. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United resigned themselves to a playoff after a valiant 1-1 draw at PSG left them in 12th place. Here is my ranking of all the Premier League sides’ performances from this historic week.

6. Manchester City- beat Galatasary 2-0 at home

Pep Guardiola should be sending longtime nemesis Jose Mourinho a nice bottle of red today. The Portuguese troublemaker oversaw a performance for the ages last night, as Benfica routed former club Real Madrid 4-2 to help Man City scrape through in that final automatic qualification spot (probably more than they deserved after that shocking performance in Norway last time out). First-half goals from Ryan Cherki and Erling Haaland gave the Citizens a comfortable home win against the Turkish outfit. Nothing spectacular.

5. Arsenal- beat Kairat 3-2 at home

Arsenal applied the finishing touches to their flawless League Phase campaign, taking down minnows Kairat 3-2 despite making wholesale changes to their starting lineup. In reality, the scoreline didn’t truly reflect Arsenal’s overwhelming dominance. They were 3-1 up within 40 minutes, with much-maligned ‘striker’ Kai Havertz playing an instrumental part in all three goals. The German looked reinvigorated upon his return from injury, setting up Gyokeres with a delicious through-ball in the 2nd minute of the match. Kairat equalized from the spot but Havertz restored the lead, cutting in off the left before scoring his first goal since February last year. He then turned playmaker once more, with Gabby Martinelli adding a 3rd from his cross just before halftime. Kairat scored a late goal to make the scoreline look more dramatic than it had any right to be.

4. Newcastle United- drew 1-1 at PSG

Yes, Eddie Howe’s Magpies were the one side that missed out on a coveted automatic qualification spot. But you can’t fault their industry after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at reigning European champions PSG. PSG went ahead early though Vitinha’s low finish, only for Howe’s men to equalize courtesy of a Joe Willock header just before the break. Newcastle showed tremendous grit and were fully deserving of their point. The stalemate consigned both sides to a dreaded playoff (though PSG won last year’s title after failing to qualify automatically). Despite being the lowest finishing English side, Newcastle should feel proud of their European escapade. They finished 12th in the league standings, wedged snugly between European heavyweights PSG And Juve.

3. Liverpool- beat Qarabag 6-0 at home

Liverpool secured 3rd place in the League Phase with a thumping 6-0 demolition of Azerbaijani underdogs Qarabag. It was a soothing balm after yet another terrible domestic showing against Bournemouth. Liverpool have leaned on their European pedigree heavily this campaign, defeating both Madrid sides and Inter to alleviate their domestic woes. Mo Salah broke his uncharacteristic goal drought, scoring for the first time since accusing the club of throwing him under the proverbial bus. Liverpool had five different goal scorers in a polished display that emphasized the massive disparity between these clubs.

2. Spurs- won 2-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt

Arne Slot’s season is being held together by their Champions League odyssey. Thomas Frank’s job is being saved by Spurs’ European overachievements. How is it that Spurs- who look so pedestrian domestically- can finish 4th Europe? Insane. Spurs looked comfortable from the start, using their high intensity press to keep the home side pegged in. Their pressure would only pay off three minutes into the 2nd half, as former Frankfurt star Kolo Muani bundled the ball into the net from close range after a well worked dead-ball routine. Solanke made sure of all three points in the 77th minute, picking off a poor Frankfurt pass before confidently slotting the ball past the keeper. Spurs have just looked more organized and focused on the European nights, perhaps benefitting from the more overtly tactical nature of the matches. They are often exposed on transition by the rock-and-roll freneticism of the Prem.

1. Chelsea- won 3-2 at Napoli

What an away victory for Liam Rosenior’s men. Sure, Napoli have struggled in Europe and are well adrift of Inter on the domestic front. But this was still a potential do-or-die trip for Chelsea at the home of the reigning Scudetto holders. You can’t underestimate the value of this victory (their first away win in Europe this season). Enzo gave the visitors the perfect start, firing the Blues ahead with an early penalty. But the Partenopei roared back into life before the break, with Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund managing to give Napoli a 2-1 halftime lead. Chelsea needed something special in the 2nd half and Joao Pedro delivered, scoring two excellent goals to lead Chelsea to a remarkable 3-2 comeback win. This performance- coupled with Arsenal’s recent win at Inter- highlighted the vast chasm that exists between the Premier League and Serie A.