The Champions League group stage ended in the early hours of this morning, and Newcastle, the last team in the Premier League, failed to stage a counterattack, but was reversed by opponent AC Milan and finally finished at the bottom. The result means that the fate of all four teams in the Premier League in the Champions League has been revealed.
Manchester City and Arsenal comfortably topped their group and progressed to the round of 16, while Manchester United and Newcastle had a somewhat disappointing finish, finishing bottom of the group and failing to even qualify for the Europa League play-offs. For Newcastle, this morning's Champions League game was a rollercoaster ride from the top to the bottom.
Newcastle took the lead at one point and even overtook Paris in the instant standings to move up to second, but then Paris equalised and Newcastle also equalised and fell back to third. In the closing stages, AC Milan scored again and Newcastle were eliminated from the group in fourth place. Such a result will have an impact on the Premier League's European points.
Compared to other leagues, the Premier League's performance in the Champions League this season has indeed been unsatisfactory. La Liga has five teams, four of which have all qualified for top spots, while Serie A and Bundesliga have three teams each, while only one team has been eliminated in all three leagues. AC Milan, who are out of Serie A, can even participate in the Europa League and continue to compete for points.
Next season, the two best performing leagues in Europe this season will secure five Champions League places, while the exits of Newcastle and Manchester United could be a huge blow to their race for those five places.