Biggest Champions League knockout defeats of English clubs: Chelsea avoid unwanted record… | OneFootball

Premier League clubs have been suffering in the Champions League knockout stage this season, with Chelsea and Manchester City already out by the round of 16.

The margin of defeat suffered by Chelsea – and potentially Spurs – on aggregate is particularly damning, entering the record books.

So what are the heaviest Champions League knockout defeats by English clubs in the competition’s history?

Eight goals: Bayern Munich 10-2 Arsenal (2016-17)

The biggest aggregate defeat by an English club in the Champions League to date has been Arsenal’s demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich in the 2016-17 round of 16.

After topping their group above PSG, Arsenal were somewhat unfortunately drawn against a Bayern side that had finished second in their own group behind Atletico Madrid.

Bayern were merciless and won both legs against Arsenal 5-1. Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski, Thiago Alcantara (with a brace) and Thomas Muller did the bulk of the damage in Munich.

Theo Walcott gave Arsenal faint hope of a comeback by reducing the aggregate deficit to three goals in the second leg, before Laurent Koscielny got sent off and Arsenal were punished by further goals from Lewandowski, Robben, Douglas Costa and (twice) Arturo Vidal.

Six goals: PSG 8-2 Chelsea (2025-26)

Luis Enrique against Liam Rosenior was quite the managerial mismatch. PSG’s boss has won the Champions League with two different clubs. Chelsea’s boss had only managed two Champions League games.

Chelsea were thrashed 5-2 in the first leg in Paris, succumbing to goals by Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s late brace to take the tie virtually out of reach.

Rosenior made changes for the second leg, but PSG still had too much for Chelsea. Kvaratskhelia and Barcola were on the shortlist again, before Senny Mayulu scored PSG’s eighth goal of the tie. And this time there was no reply.

Five goals: Real Madrid 5-0 Tottenham (2010-11)

Tottenham competed in the Champions League for the first time in 2010-11, so there was little shame in their run ending at the hands of Real Madrid, who were making their 14th consecutive appearance in the knockout stage.

But Spurs were simply no match for their future boss Jose Mourinho’s side. As Luka Modric and Gareth Bale featured at their future home, Harry Redknapp’s side conceded four goals in the Spanish capital.

A red card to Peter Crouch a quarter of an hour in didn’t help. By that point, Emmanuel Adebayor had already put Madrid ahead and he scored a second before further goals by Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo scored again at White Hart Lane to condemn Spurs to a five-goal aggregate defeat.

Four goals: Real Madrid 5-1 Man City (2025-26)

Real Madrid have now knocked Manchester City out of three consecutive Champions Leagues, each by a bigger aggregate score.

In 2023-24, a penalty shootout put Madrid through. In 2024-25, the Spaniards won by a three-goal margin. And this season, their aggregate victory was by four.

A hat trick by Federico Valverde blew City away in the first leg at the Bernabeu. Madrid won on English soil too, with Vinicius Junior scoring both their goals in a 2-1 win.

Four goals: Real Madrid 4-0 Chelsea (2022-23)

Real Madrid’s 2022-23 Champions League campaign ended at the hands of City, but that was after knocking out two other English teams by four-goal margins.

In the quarter-finals, they beat Chelsea 2-0 twice. After recently welcoming back Frank Lampard as caretaker manager, the Blues had no answer to the defending champions.

Ben Chilwell was sent off in the first leg at the Bernabeu, where the goals were scored by Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio.

Rodrygo added a brace at Stamford Bridge to condemn Chelsea to what was until this week their heaviest aggregate knockout defeat in the Champions League.

Four goals: Real Madrid 6-2 Liverpool (2022-23)

In the previous round, Liverpool were Madrid’s victims in a repeat of the previous campaign’s final.

The 2022 final was decided by a one-goal margin and so was the second leg of their 2022-23 round of 16 reunion. The problem for Jurgen Klopp’s side was their 5-2 defeat in the first leg.

That was even after they took a two-goal lead via Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah within the opening 15 minutes, before Madrid turned the tie on its head with braces from Vinicius and Benzema either side of an Eder Militao goal.

Liverpool only qualified for the Europa League by the end of the season, so it was Klopp’s last Champions League defeat with them (and more than likely anyone).

Four goals: RB Leipzig 4-0 Tottenham (2019-20)

Having reached the Champions League final in 2019, Tottenham fell at the first knockout hurdle the following season.

A penalty by a certain Timo Werner gave RB Leipzig the advantage after the first leg in London, before Mourinho’s side slipped to a 3-0 defeat in Germany.

Marcel Sabitzer scored a brace before Emil Forsberg capped off a big win for the eventual semi-finalists.

Four goals: Barcelona 4-0 Man Utd (2018-19)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still a novice in caretaker charge of Manchester United when they overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League clash with PSG.

The achievement of becoming the first team ever to lose a European Cup game by two goals in the first leg at home and still manage to go through played no small part in him getting the permanent job, which he had been rewarded with prior to the quarter-finals against Barcelona.

But Barcelona were just too good for United at that stage, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford due to a Luke Shaw own goal and then 3-0 at Camp Nou with a brace by Lionel Messi and a goal by Philippe Coutinho.

It knocked the wind out of United’s sails. From that point on, they failed to win any of their last five Premier League matches of the season.

As for Barcelona, an infamous defeat to Liverpool followed in the semi-finals despite a 3-0 win in the first leg.

Four goals: Liverpool 5-1 Man City (QF 2017-18)

The biggest aggregate win by one English side over another in the Champions League saw Liverpool win 5-1 over two legs of their quarter-final with Manchester City in 2017-18.

Liverpool were in the driving seat from the start, going three goals up inside 31 minutes in the first leg at Anfield courtesy of Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.

Gabriel Jesus scored early in the second leg for City, but Salah and Roberto Firmino ensured that game ended as a Liverpool win as well.

Liverpool scored five goals in the first leg of their semi-final against Roma as well, but the aggregate score after the second leg was only in their favour by one.

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in the final, a match best remembered for Loris Karius’ mishaps in goal.

Four goals: Barcelona 5-1 Arsenal (2015-16)

Having lost three and won three of their games in the group stage, Arsenal finished as runners-up to Bayern Munich, leading to a difficult draw with Barcelona for the round of 16.

A Messi brace decided the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. In the second leg, he scored again, along with famous strike partners Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Mohamed Elneny did score for Arsenal to make the aggregate score 3-1, but the deficit remained two for less than a quarter of an hour before Barcelona pulled away from Arsene Wenger’s side again.

However, Luis Enrique’s side failed to retain their Champions League title, falling in the next round to Atletico Madrid.