By Ghazali Ibrahim
All six English Premier League teams competing in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 endured a disappointing outing after none managed to secure a victory in the first-leg matches played earlier this week.
Clubs from the Premier League including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, collectively recorded four defeats and two draws, leaving them with a difficult task ahead of the decisive second-leg fixtures.
Defending champions Manchester City suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Chelsea were beaten 5–2 by Paris Saint‑Germain.
Liverpool also fell 1–0 to Galatasaray, while Tottenham Hotspur lost 5–2 to Atlético Madrid, further compounding a difficult round for English sides.
The only teams to avoid defeat were Arsenal and Newcastle United, who both played out 1–1 draws against Bayer Leverkusen and FC Barcelona respectively.
The unexpected results have raised concerns over the Premier League’s dominance in European competitions this season, especially after six English clubs reached the last 16, the highest representation from a single league in the competition.
However, with the second-leg matches scheduled for next week, all six teams still have an opportunity to overturn their first-leg setbacks and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
