UEFA Champions League round of 16: 5 things we learned from the first leg matches

#5 Resurgence of English sides in the Champions League

Manchester City scored four past Basel at St. Jakob Park

The Premier League sides made history in the Champions League this season when five teams qualified for the main competition for the first time ever in the history of the game. This record was extended further when all the aforementioned five sides managed to qualify for the knockout stages and that too in fine fashion.

Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur all topped their respective groups while Chelsea finished second behind Roma. Even in the last-16 stage, most of these clubs have a favourable chance of qualifying to the next round.

Manchester City and Liverpool already have one foot in the quarter-finals by virtue of their huge away wins. Manchester United and Tottenham are also in a strong position as they will be looking to win their respective ties at home. Chelsea remain the only doubtful party as they face a stern test against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Compare this scenario with that of last season, where Leicester City were the only English side in the quarter-finals of the competition, and you will see a sizeable difference.

The competition has inherently been dominated by Spanish sides over the last few years, with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla being knockout stage regulars.

There has been a somewhat shift in power this season as all the five English sides have a healthy chance of qualifying to the quarter-finals. If that happens, Real Madrid, provided they qualify, will be the only Spanish side in the last-eight of the competition.

This improvement in the performance of the Premier League sides in Europe is a good sign of intent on part of these teams and is a happy sight for all the Premier League fans across the world.