Champions League Crisis: Five Premier League Sides Face Elimination After Winless First Legs

At least five Premier League sides are at risk of being knocked out of the Champions League following the first leg of their round of 16 ties this week.

None of the six English clubs still in the competition managed to secure a victory in their opening matches.

Arsenal and Newcastle were the only teams to come away with draws, while Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool all ended up on the losing side.

Chelsea fell to a heavy 5-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in France, while Manchester City were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.

Liverpool slipped to a 1-0 loss at Galatasaray on Tuesday, the same night Tottenham were routed 5-2 by Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Newcastle came close to beating Barcelona at St James’ Park, but Harvey Barnes’ goal was nullified by a late Lamine Yamal penalty. The return fixture is set for Camp Nou.

Arsenal, meanwhile, required a stoppage-time penalty from Kai Havertz to rescue a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen. Among the English contingent, Mikel Arteta’s side appears best placed to progress, with the second leg to be played at the Emirates.