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EPL trio enjoy morale-boosting Champions League wins
AP • January 22nd, 2026 1:20 pm
Dominik Szoboszlai has led Liverpool to a comfortable win in Marseille | Photo: EPA
Premier League teams are powering ahead in the Champions League with five of England's top-flight clubs in position to advance to the round of 16.
Arsenal top the standings and have already secured their place in the next round, while wins for Liverpool, Newcastle United and Chelsea on Wednesday night (Thursday NZ time) saw them move into the top eight automatic qualifying positions with one game of the league phase to go.
Tottenham are fifth, with Manchester City the only English team in the playoffs going into next week's matches.
Bayern Munich are second and joined Arsenal in advancing to the round of 16 with England striker Harry Kane scoring twice in a 2-0 home win over Union Saint-Gilloise.
Liverpool (15 points) are fourth after a 3-0 win at Marseille. Newcastle beat PSV Eindhoven by the same score and Chelsea won 1-0 against Pafos FC.
Cody Gakpo slots home Liverpool's final goal in Marseille | Photo: EPA
Mohamed Salah's Reds return was less impactful than he would have hoped, overshadowed by Dominik Szoboszlai in the south of France.
While all eyes were on the Egypt international it was his close Hungarian friend - and the team's most consistent performer - who surprised the hosts with a clever free kick under the wall in first-half added time.
Jeremie Frimpong's second-half cross deflected in off the Marseille goalkeeper just as pressure was starting to build, before Cody Gakpo's added-time strike secured only Liverpool's second win by three goals against a top-tier side this season.
Yoane Wissa marked his first Champions League start with his first goal as Eddie Howe's men did what they needed to do in front of a delighted crowd of 52,076 at St James' Park.
Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes all pounced on errors from the runaway Dutch leaders to leave them seventh ahead of next week's visit to holders and sixth-placed Paris Saint-Germain.
Yoane Wissa celebrates his landmark goal in the Champions League | Photo: EPA
Chelsea (13) will go into the final matchday in eighth after Moises Caicedo's late header earned a nervy 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Head coach Liam Rosenior's first European game in charge looked like heading towards a bleak conclusion, the rookie visitors from Cyprus holding out admirably until the 78th minute.
Barcelona (13) are ninth despite a 4-2 win at Slavia Prague and risk having to go through the playoffs to advance.
But there is much to play for in the final round of the league phase with just three points separating third-placed Real Madrid (15) and Juventus in 15th.
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao and Qarabag enjoyed 3-2 wins while Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at Galatasaray.
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