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A look at how all nine British teams progressed in Europe

A look at how all nine British teams progressed in Europe
© Reuters
Rangers' draw on Thursday ensured all nine British teams went through to the knockout stages.

Rangers' 1-1 draw with Young Boys on Thursday ensured that all nine British teams have qualified for the knockout phase of European competition.

Here, the PA media agency takes a look at how each of them did it.

Champions League

Liverpool

How they progressed: Group E winners

Liverpool went into the final round of matches on Tuesday night not sure of progression but ended up as group winners thanks to a 2-0 victory over Salzburg in Austria. Their campaign got off to a bad start in September when they lost 2-0 away to Napoli, and they needed Mo Salah's 69th minute winner against Salzburg after blowing a 3-0 lead in a dramatic 4-3 win at Anfield two weeks later. After Napoli frustrated Jurgen Klopp's side in a 1-1 draw on Merseyside in late November they travelled to Salzburg on Tuesday knowing defeat could have condemned them to the Europa League, but two second half goals in as many minutes from Naby Keita and Salah ensured their progress.

Manchester City

How they progressed: Group C winners

Manchester City v Atalanta – UEFA Champions League – Group C – Etihad Stadium
Raheem Sterling was among the scorers when Manchester City put five past Atalanta in Group C (Martin Rickett/PA)

City got their work in Europe done early, winning their opening three Group C fixtures and scoring 10 goals in the process, half of them in a 5-1 rout of Atalanta in Manchester on October 22. Back-to-back 1-1 draws away to the Italians and at home to Shakhtar Donetsk followed, with City five points clear going into the final round of fixtures, and their 4-1 win at Dinamo Zagreb put the icing on the cake.

Chelsea

How they progressed: Second in Group H

Chelsea v Ajax – UEFA Champions League – Group H – Stamford Bridge
Ajax had two players sent off in a dramatic 4-4 draw with Chelsea in London (John Walton/PA)

Frank Lampard's side survived a nervy finale to their 2-1 win over Lille on Tuesday night to beat Ajax to second place in Group H by a single point. It was in keeping with an often dramatic campaign for the Londoners, who lost their opening game 1-0 at home to Valencia but, after winning in Lille, secured a vital 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam which Lampard called a coming-of-age moment for his young side. A wild night followed at Stamford Bridge as they came from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 with Ajax – with Jorginho scoring twice from the penalty spot and the Dutch side playing the last 20 minutes with nine men – and it was a result which proved vital in a tight group.

Tottenham

How they progressed: Second in Group B

Tottenham Hotspur v Bayern Munich – UEFA Champions League – Group B – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Serge Gnabry scored four goals for Bayern Munich in a 7-2 win over Tottenham (John Walton/PA)

Tottenham endured a poor start to their campaign, held in a 2-2 draw away to Olympiacos before ex-Arsenal man Serge Gnabry bagged four goals in a stunning 7-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich in October. But though their domestic frustrations lingered on and ultimately cost Mauricio Pochettino his job, they turned things around in Europe thanks to two big victories over Red Star Belgrade – 5-0 at home and 4-0 on the road. A 4-2 win over Olympiacos in London ensured that, despite a second loss to Bayern in their final match, Spurs had secured their progression.

Europa League

Manchester United

How they progressed: Group L winners

A thumping victory over AZ Alkmaar in their final match was a strong way to finish the group and also secured United top spot. An edgy opening day win at home to Astana was hardly the most convincing way to start and their goalless draw at Alkmaar left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side with work to do. But back-to-back wins over Partizan Belgrade put the Red Devils in control of the group, despite a young side falling to defeat in the freezing temperatures of Kazakhstan.

Arsenal

How they progressed: Group F winners

Unai Emery lost his job after defeat to Frankfurt
Unai Emery lost his job after defeat to Frankfurt (Adam Davy/PA)

The Gunners made it through to the knockout phase thanks to a dominant start to the group, winning their first three matches against Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liege and Vitoria Guimaraes. But that form tailed off as Unai Emery began to feel the pressure both domestically and in Europe. Emery lost his job after a home loss to Frankfurt, with interim manager Freddie Ljungberg securing a 2-2 draw in the final match in Liege which guaranteed the Gunners topped the group.

Wolves

How they progressed: Second in Group K

Nuno Espirito Santo had guided Wolves into their first European season since 1980-81 after a superb Premier League campaign following promotion. A gruelling qualification which involved six matches just to reach the group phase left some fearing for Nuno's side, but they swept into the last 32 with ease. Portuguese side Braga topped the group after winning at Molineux and claiming a 3-3 draw at home, but Wolves won home and away against Besiktas and Slovan Bratislava to ease through as runners up.

Celtic

How they progressed: Group E winners

Celtic came through a tough group
Celtic came through a tough group (Steve Welsh/PA)

The Hoops' failure to qualify for the Champions League after an astonishing 4-3 defeat in the second leg against CFR Cluj at Celtic Park – including a 90th-minute winner – was a huge disappointment for Neil Lennon's side. To be paired with the Romanian side again when the Europa League group stage was drawn felt like another kick in the teeth. But Celtic bounced back in style and topped a tough group – which included Serie A giants Lazio and Ligue 1 side Rennes – to cap a superb achievement. A 2-1 win in Rome was the undoubted highlight with their only defeat coming to Cluj once top spot was already secured.

Rangers

How they progressed: Second in Group G

Rangers' battle to reach the Europa League group stage began on July 9 with a clash against St Joseph's of Gibraltar. Three more two-legged ties followed before Steven Gerrard's side had qualified. They were then handed a tough draw after being paired with Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys. The quality of the group was reflected in the fact that Rangers were able to progress, as runners up, despite only picking up nine points. Draws in their last two matches edged Gers through, but earlier Ibrox wins over Feyenoord and Porto paved the way to the knockout phase.

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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