There are plenty who will argue that the English Premier League is the best domestic competition in world football. Others will argue the case for an alternative; perhaps the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga or Italian Serie A.
Maybe the argument can be settled on the form of domestic clubs in continental competition, which offers some kind of evidence of the strength of depth in a particular nation. No English club will feature in the 2025 Champions League final, and yet two of them – Manchester United and Tottenham – will participate in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
At times, the Europa League has been considered the ugly sister to the Cinderella that is the Champions League, but with the winner of the Europa League now securing a place in the following season’s UCL, understandably the level of motivation to win the competition has increased exponentially. Both Manchester United and Tottenham have been involved in all-English European finals before… an eventuality that has happened five times before.
Manchester United vs Chelsea (Champions League, 2007/08)
Chronologically speaking, the first all-English European final was a UEFA Cup tie back in 1972, but we wanted to order our list in terms of seniority – with the Champions League superseding the ‘second tier’ continental tournament. And so we start with the 2007/08 Champions League, where Manchester United and Chelsea breezed through their respective groups.
United then saw off Lyon and Roma on the way to the semi-finals, where the ever-dangerous Barcelona awaited. However, in a surprisingly low key two-legged encounter, it was the Red Devils that prevailed by scoring the solitary goal via Paul Scholes. Chelsea’s route to the final was much more straightforward, with a plum draw that paired them against Olympiacos and Fenerbahce.
The Blues faced their first all-English clash against Liverpool in the semi-finals, overcoming the Reds by a 4-3 aggregate margin. And so the scene was set for the first-ever all-English Champions League final, played at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. And domestic hostilities were soon resumed, with a 22-man brawl leading to a red card for Diddier Drogba, who had shoved Nemanja Matic in the face.
A Cristiano Ronaldo opener for United was cancelled out by a Frank Lampard equaliser, and despite the woodwork being struck and shots being cleared off the line, the final would remain 1-1… the dreaded penalty shootout was required.
When Ronaldo missed United’s third spot kick, the advantage was well and truly with Chelsea… until both John Terry – via his infamous slip on the turf – and Nicolas Anelka also missed to see the Red Devils crowned champions of Europe once again.
Tottenham vs Liverpool (Champions League, 2018/19)
It was English dominance all the way in 2018/19, with Chelsea and Arsenal contesting the Europa League final. But it was this clash in the continent’s blue riband competition that most captured the imagination, with Spurs seeking their first-ever Champions League win and Liverpool their first in over a decade.
Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund with ease in their last 16 tie, while Liverpool’s game at the same stage against Bayern Munich went down to the second half of the second leg – Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane settling matters with late goals. Liverpool bounded through their quarter-final with Porto, while Tottenham’s last eight clash with Manchester City was one for the ages. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Spurs found themselves 2-1 after just ten minutes of the second in a flurry of goals.
City then went 4-2 up on the night courtesy of Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, but Fernando Llorente would prove to be the Londoners’ late saviour with a strike that put them through via away goals. Tottenham beat Ajax after extra time in their semi-final, while the clash between Liverpool and Barcelona was extraordinary. Barca won the first leg 3-0 at the Nou Camp and were home and hosed… until the Reds somehow won 4-0 in front of a rapturous Anfield.
The final was set then for Madrid. But it proved to be something of a disappointing spectacle given the excitement that had come previously. Mo Salah gave Liverpool the lead after two minutes, before a low-quality finale was decided by Divock Origi’s second late on.
Chelsea vs Manchester City (Champions League, 2020/21)
The 2020/21 Champions League was notable in that it was played in closed stadiums due to the pandemic, but that didn’t stop Manchester City and Chelsea from powering to the final. In fact, the two Premier League sides were comfortable throughout – even in their semi-finals, with Chelsea seeing off Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate and City defeating PSG by a 4-1 aggregate margin.
A ‘controlled’ return to stadia for fans saw 14,000 attend the final in Porto, which was a conservative affair from the off as City sought to get their hands on the trophy for the first time. But Chelsea, a considerable underdog with the bookmakers, struck first when Kai Havertz finished smartly in a one-on-one with Ederson. City pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, with Riyad Mahrez going closest, but it would be heartbreak for Pep Guardiola’s side as Chelsea gained revenge for their all-English loss more than a decade prior.
All-English Europa League Finals
At the time of writing, there’s been three all-English finals in the Champions League. And the Manchester United vs Tottenham Europa League clash will make it a trio in that competition, too. The first, as mentioned, occurred all the way back in 1972; when the Europa League was known as the UEFA Cup. It was Spurs again, this time taking on Wolves in a two-legged tie with each hosting one of the games.
Tottenham won the first leg in the West Midlands 2-1, before a 1-1 draw in the second at White Hart Lane enabled their players to lift the trophy in front of their own fans. The second all-English Europa League final occurred in 2019, when Chelsea and Arsenal locked horns in, bizarrely, the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. Goalless at half-time, the game burst into life in the second period – five goals were scored, albeit four of them by Chelsea as they romped to a 4-1 victory thanks largely to Eden Hazard’s brace.
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