The Premier League’s Best Campaigns in Europe, when EPL Clubs Rule

Premier League clubs have had the best seasons in the continental competitions from time to time.

The Premier League has been the most competitive in the world for years. Yet, the 2023/24 season was not their best campaign in Europe. It might be one of the seasons to forget as the reigning champion, Manchester City failed to defend their title in the Champions League, plus no English clubs reached any continental finals at all, which is worse compared to the previous season.

English teams are expected to bounce back next season to prove their true quality on the pitch in Europe, not just in terms of numbers on the balance sheet. They have been dominant before. The late 1970s to mid 1980s were deemed the golden years of English teams in Europe before ending abruptly due to the Heysel Tragedy leading to the five-year ban for all English clubs in Europe plus a six-year ban for The Reds. That also led to the rebranding of the English top division, which later became the English Premier League. Here are the seasons when EPL clubs ruled Europe.

The 2007/08 Season

The 2007/08 season was the beginning of Premier League domination in Europe. For the first time, the UEFA Champions League saw the all-English final when Manchester United and Chelsea were squaring off in the summit, which was held in Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. United thumped Barcelona in the semifinal by a 1-0 win on aggregate, while The Blues defeated Liverpool in a 4-3 on aggregate (1-1; 3-2). That season capitalised on the Premier League’s ambition to have their two sides in the final after their failure in the previous season when Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were knocked out by the eventual champions, AC Milan.

The Moscow final itself was intense as both could only muster a 1-1 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring through his header before Frank Lampard equalised. The match went on penalties and United’s veteran goalie, Edwin Van der Sar was the protagonist after CR7 failed to convert the penalty.

In the UEFA Cup, there was no English club in the final, but their Scottish counterpart, surprisingly had their representative in the summit. Glasgow Rangers advanced to the final to take on Russia’s Zenit St.Petersburg in the City of Manchester stadium. Unfortunately, Kris Boyd and Co were unable to lift the trophy as the Russian side snatched a 2-0 victory. That was Rangers’ last appearance in the continental final before their emergence in the same tournament in 2022.

The 2018/2019 Season

It was the season of England’s total domination as both continental competitions had all-English finals. In the Champions League, Liverpool faced off against Tottenham Hotspurs in Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid. The Reds were seeking redemption after their bitter 3-1 defeat in Kyiv against Real Madrid in the previous season. Meanwhile, the Spurs were hoping to end their title drought in the most prestigious tournament. The result was rather expected, a victory for Jurgen Klopp’s men as they had the better form, mentality and experience in UCL.

Meanwhile, in the Europa League, it was not only an all-English final but an all-London final as Chelsea and Arsenal met in the summit, which was staged in Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan. The game was expected to be tight but it turned out to be the opposite. Maurizio Sarri’s men managed to dismantle Unai Emery’s Arsenal 4-1. The first half was still a stalemate but all changed in the second half. The Blues even led by three goals first through Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Eden Hazard’s penalty in about an hour mark before Alex Iwobi netted a lifeline in the 69th minute. Hazard eventually completed his brace three minutes later to secure such a convincing victory against the manager who was dubbed to always have his luck in UEFA’s second-tier competition.

The 2020/21 Season

The 2020/21 season was another campaign of EPL domination. Although it was as total as the 2019, the Premier League still managed to have three teams in the final. In the Champions League, another all-English final was held. Chelsea was taking on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Dragao Stadium, Porto. It was the first UCL final for The Citizens and they aimed to capitalise their ambition. The match itself was a tight affair. Both teams did create some chances but none found the back of the net, except one. Kai Havertz was able to break the deadlock. It was enough to give The Blues their only silverware of the season.

In the UEFA Europa League, Ole Solksjaer’s Manchester United would encounter the final debutante, Villareal. Led by Unai Emery, the Yellow Submarines were able to cancel out another all-English final after they crushed Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate. The match itself was tough and tight before Gerard Moreno bagged an opener. Edison Cavani scored an equaliser in the second. The match then had to be decided through a shootout and surprisingly, Villareal triumphed. It was their first-ever silverware in a major continental competition.

The 2022/23 Season

Last but not least, the 2022/23 season was the last time when Premier League clubs ruled. In the Champions League, the Italian clubs might have been dominating the semifinals but it was Manchester City which lifted the trophy. Pep Guardiola’s men managed to complete the treble after crushing Inter Milan 1-0 through Rodri’s goal from a long-range shot.

In the Europa League, there was no English club to even reach the final four. The Italians sent two teams, Juventus and Roma to the semifinal, but only Giallorossi progressed to the final. Yet, they lost on penalties to Sevilla.

The English club had a new champion in the new UEFA competition, the third tier’s Conference League. West Ham United was able to win their first continental silverware since winning the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1965 by snatching a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the final. The match which was held in Fortuna Arena, Prague, was a tough one. After sharing spoils in a 1-1 draw as Said Benrahma’s penalty in the 62nd minute was responded to by Giacomo Bonaventura’s goal five minutes later, Jarrod Bowen sent The Hammers fan into raptures as he slotted home in the 90th minute. West Ham tickets, which were in high demand for European fixtures, finally did not go to waste. Premier League clubs ruled again with two victors in the continent.