English clubs achieve historic European final feat

English clubs achieve historic European final feat

English clubs have progressed to the final of European football’s three major competitions in the same season for the first time.

After Arsenal reached the Champions League final with a win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace reached European deciders on Thursday.

Villa thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to seal a second leg comeback, as Unai Emery targets a record-extending fifth Europa League as a coach. Villa are aiming to end a 30-year wait for a major trophy this season and will face Freiburg later this month.

Crystal Palace have also reached the Europa Conference League final, after a comfortable win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals. The Eagles are playing in Europe for the first time this season and have reached the competition’s decider.

It’s the first time that all three finals have featured Premier League teams in the same season, since the Conference League was introduced five years ago. The tournament added a third UEFA club competition, which had not been an event since the Cup Winners’ Cup ended in 1999.

Since the Conference League was formed, only one other country has achieved that feat. Italy had representation in all three finals in 2023, with Inter Milan (Champions League), (Europa League) and (Conference League) all making the deciders. The English clubs will hope for better fortunes, after the Serie A sides lost all three finals.