Tottenham and Manchester United handed Champions League blow after European setback
Liverpool were the only victors in their Europa League Round of 16 encounter in their 5-1 away win over Sparta Prague. However, defeats for West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion compounded a largely miserable night for English clubs in Europe on Thursday night.
An 81st-minute goal from Michael Gregoritsch was enough for SC Freiburg to earn revenge over the Hammers in their first-leg, following West Ham's Group Stage double over the Bundesliga side. Meanwhile, it was a miserable return to Italy for Roberto De Zerbi as the Seagulls suffered a 4-0 defeat to last year's Europa League finalists Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
From the 2024/25 season, the Champions League will expand its group stages from 32 teams to 36 teams in a format change from the UEFA competition. On one hand, this could see England gain an extra qualifying place for the elite tournament with two of the extra spots being awarded to the countries that rank highest in the governing body's coefficient ranking.
This is determined by how each team from the participating nations perform in the three UEFA competitions; Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League. Prior to the Round of 16 first-leg fixtures, both Spain and England were set to receive the extra qualifying positions ahead of Italy and Germany — but Friday's updated rankings could change that.
Liverpool hit Sparta Prague for five with Darwin Nunez the pick of the goalscorers with his well-taken brace. The returning Mohamed Salah had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside, which would've rounded off the scoring, but Dominik Szoboszlai's effort in stoppage time completed the rout following efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.
Brighton kicked off in
Read on football.london
