Arsenal’s dominant 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final has officially secured a minimum of five Champions League spots for English clubs next season.
England are now guaranteed at least five clubs in next season’s UEFA Champions League after Arsenal’s emphatic 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday night. Declan Rice netted two superb free-kicks—his first ever in professional football—before Mikel Merino added a third at the Emirates, giving the Gunners a strong advantage heading into the return leg.
The victory also boosts England’s UEFA coefficient, ensuring one of two extra Champions League spots awarded this year. “We did that but we have a lot more to give,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham admitted, “We were nowhere near it… they could have had way more.”
With four English clubs still in European competition and just 12 points separating third to tenth in the Premier League, as many as seven English teams could qualify for Europe’s elite competition. The regulation limiting leagues to five teams has now been scrapped.