ClapThe Champions League and Europa League both returned this week as the knockout stages of the two competitions got underway across many different cities and countries in the continent.
Today, though, we’re going to focus on the six British clubs that were all able to avoid defeat in the first leg of their respective ties. Chelsea and Manchester City will get their chance to impress next week but for now, we’re going to take a look at the sides who have already had their opportunity to shine.
RB Leipzig 0-2 Liverpool
Liverpool may have been a bit all over the place in the Premier League over the course of the last few weeks, but they showed the exact opposite qualities in their 2-0 win over RB Leipzig.
Salah and Mane were at their very best, they were resolute in their defensive work, and they generally looked like the Liverpool of old – which should serve as music to the ears of Jurgen Klopp.
Real Sociedad 0-4 Manchester United
The title race may be slowing slipping out of Manchester United’s grasp, but they’re still looking as sharp as ever in Europe despite being relegated down to the UEL from the Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were as ruthless as they have been in a long time and they deserve a whole lot of credit for the manner in which they disposed of Sociedad last night.
Wolfsberger 1-4 Tottenham
The real headline for Tottenham Hotspur against Wolfsberger wasn’t the 4-1 result, but instead, the undeniable relief from seeing Gareth Bale thrive for the first time in what feels like forever in a Spurs shirt.
Hopefully, Jose Mourinho will now acknowledge that the Welshman deserves a sustained spot in the starting XI.
Slavia Prague 0-0 Leicester
Leicester couldn’t quite break Slavia Prague down in the way they would’ve liked in the first leg, but keeping the clean sheet means they should still have an advantage heading into the second leg.
The important thing for Brendan Rodgers, though, is that he learns how to balance European football with their Premier League exploits.
Benfica 1-1 Arsenal
Frustration was the name of the game for Arsenal as they couldn’t quite get the goal they needed to really see off the challenge of Benfica in the first leg.
Sure, they were able to score and grab what could prove to be a crucial away goal, but they didn’t look like the ‘favourites’ everyone is making them out to be. If they want to make it into the last 16, they’ll have to do a whole lot better than that.
Antwerp 3-4 Rangers
Rangers Football Club are really enjoying life under Steven Gerrard and rightly so. The former Liverpool star has been able to establish himself as a legitimately top class manager, and he’s done so in a pretty short space of time.
If Rangers can get through the challenge of Antwerp in the second leg and reach the Round of 16, we don’t think there’s any reason why they can’t turn that into a sustained run which takes them deep into the competition.
