Fantastic Four: Liverpool make it quartet of English teams into UCL last 8 with win over Bayern
Liverpool made it a perfect four for English clubs in the UEFA Champions League this season as they beat Bayern Munich to join Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham in the quarterfinals.
Liverpool saw off Bayern 3-1 in their last 16 second leg thanks to a double from the in-form Sadio Mane and a goal from defender Virgil van Dijk.
Also on rt.com Who’s the Mane! Sadio fires double as Liverpool see off Bayern Munich in Champions LeagueLast season's beaten finalists booked their spot in Friday's draw, while Premier League rivals Manchester City had put themselves in the hat by annihilating Germans Schalke on Tuesday, and last week Tottenham finished the job against Borussia Dortmund as Man United stunned PSG.
All four English teams that entered the competition are still alive - and it means half of the quarterfinalists will be Premier League teams for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal all reached the last eight.
English teams in #UCL quarter-finals - last 8 seasons18-19 417-18 216-17 115-16 114-15 013-14 212-13 011-12 1
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) March 13, 2019
4 - There will be four English teams in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. Fantastic. #BAYLIV
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 13, 2019
On that occasion, Chelsea beat Liverpool to reach the last four, before losing to eventual winners Barcelona in the semis, while Manchester United and Arsenal emerged from their quarterfinals to meet in the last four, with United prevailing before losing to Barca in the final.
This season's Fab Four of Man United, Man City Spurs and Liverpool join Barcelona, Ajax, Porto and Juventus in the quarterfinals - and English football fans on social media were raving.
The final 8 teams left in the UEFA Champions League confirmed!All 4 Premier League teams who entered the competition are still in the #UCL.English teams can play each other in the quarters.🏴Liverpool🏴Man City🏴Man United🏴Tottenham🇮🇹Juventus🇳🇱Ajax🇵🇹Porto🇪🇸Barcelona pic.twitter.com/YgDr6CfFXW
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) March 13, 2019
All 4 English teams have reached the quarter finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2008 pic.twitter.com/fP27j4NGVu
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) March 13, 2019
Joy for England was despair for Germany, though, as Liverpool's win meant a hat-trick of defeats for Bundesliga teams against Premier League opposition at the last 16 stage.
Bundesliga teams have taken a shellacking from the English sides this round or 16.
— Craig Burley (@CBurleyESPN) March 13, 2019
3 - For the first time in the history of the @ChampionsLeague, 3 German teams are eliminated by English opponents in the knockout stages of a single campaign in the competition. Brexit. #UCL#FCBLIV#FCBLFC#BVBTOT#MCIS04pic.twitter.com/ufJ73Pjx7c
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) March 13, 2019
Predictably amid the backstop of the Brexit shambles on the political front, some fans wondered aloud whether English teams knew the country was meant to be exiting the EU.
What part of Brexit do these four English teams not understand? #UCL
— Des Norris (@PartidoPooper) March 13, 2019
Although some pointed out that each of the teams are managed by different nationalities - with Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, Norway's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United, Germany's Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and Spain's Pep Guardiola at City - and not to mention a mass of foreign players in the ranks.
Four English teams through to the quarters of the champions league and not one of them has an English manager!🤷♂️
— Danny Jones (@TidyTouch10) March 13, 2019
The teams will learn their fate at Friday's draw, with this year's final taking place at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium on June 1.
