Premier League flops, Man Utd and Newcastle’s premature

Both the English top-flight clubs experienced a disappointing Champions League campaign as they finished at the bottom of their respective groups. In the final matchday of the round-robin stage, Newcastle's hopes were dashed by AC Milan, losing 2-1 despite being in a promising position with 31 minutes to play. On the other hand, United suffered a dismal defeat against Bayern Munich, resulting in their ouster with just four points from six games. 

This double elimination marks an unwanted record for the Premier League as it was for the first time two of its teams finished at the bottom of their Champions League groups. While other English teams like Blackburn Rovers (1995/96), United (2005/06), and Manchester City (2012/13) have faced the same fate individually in previous seasons, this collective failure adds a layer of embarrassment for the league.

United's exit was sealed by a second-half goal from Kingsley Coman coupled with Copenhagen's victory over Galatasaray in the other fixture of the group. Newcastle, on the other hand, had an additional source of frustration, as a controversial penalty decision in their draw against PSG turned out to be the reason for their misfortune. Manager Eddie Howe, however, refused to solely blame that incident for their Champions League exit.

"I think it would be foolish for me to look back on that moment and start bringing up old stuff. We had the opportunity tonight to do what we needed to do but we didn’t take it. It’s not through a lack of effort," he told TNT Sports. "We have a very stretched squad and those players are going again and again. I couldn’t be prouder of what they have given me physically and mentally. I don’t think we can have any regrets. I think always you have to use disappointments and setbacks as motiva tion and a learning tool. It’s fuel for your fire to make sure we continue to achieve and we will go back to the Premier League now and try and do as well as we can and try and step up there."

Did you know?

Arsenal and Manchester City are the two surviving English teams in the Champions League. However, there is more representation in the Europa League with West Ham, Liverpool, and Brighton in the knockout stages of the tournament. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are plying their trade in the Conference League. Howe can ill-afford to rest as they go again on Saturday against Fulham in the Premier League with a trip to Stamford Bridge lineup for December 20 for an EFL Cup fixture. Whereas, Erik ten Hag will hope to guide his team to the three points when they face bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.