Bournemouth secured a historic 3-0 victory over seven-time European champions AC Milan in their third-ever continental fixture, a result that further highlights the English top flight’s increasing influence on the European stage. At times, being a Bournemouth fan must feel like living in a simulation. Come May, it could well be Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace or Sunderland leading the English charge in Europe. Brighton winning run ends with dull draw against Jablonec. Sage denied win but Palace earn hard-fought point at Besiktas. Wasteful Sunderland held to draw at Lech Poznan.
Justin Kluivert opened the scoring at Vitality Stadium, marking a symbolic moment 31 years after his father, Patrick, netted the winner for Ajax against the same Italian side in a Champions League final.
For the Cherries, the result is a remarkable milestone for a club that faced potential liquidation as recently as 2008. Not many Bournemouth fans would have dreamed that famous name would one day appear on their shirts, having seen their club narrowly avoid the jaws of liquidation in 2008. In terms of the story of the club it’s ridiculous.
Reflecting on the club’s transformation, midfielder Ryan Christie noted the surreal nature of the journey, recalling that 15 years ago the side was sitting 17th in League One. Someone told me today, 15 years ago today we were 17th in League One, so it’s pretty incredible,” Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie told TNT Sports.
The win was particularly unusual as Milan started more English players, three, than Bournemouth, who fielded two.
While Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off after 27 minutes, Bournemouth were already the dominant side during the opening exchanges. The victory adds to an impressive season for the club, which has already defeated Real Sociedad and Sturm Graz, both of whom have participated in the Champions League within the last three years. While the sending off of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan killed the contest after 27 minutes, Bournemouth were by far the better side up until that point. In truth, that didn’t come as a surprise, even though Bournemouth have won just six points from seven league games this term while Milan are fourth in Serie A. Bournemouth sweep aside 10-man Milan in Europa League. All the evidence points to the Premier League’s collective strength.
The broader trend shows that English teams have lost only four of 26 matches across European competitions this season, with Manchester United responsible for two of those defeats. Over the past two years, Premier League sides have enjoyed an undefeated record of 21 wins in 21 knockout ties within the Europa League and Conference League, with their only losses in those rounds coming against domestic rivals. But for the rest of Europe, is it a Premier League-induced nightmare, for them it’s a fairytale. In 2025, Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. They finished 17th and 15th respectively, in the Premier League. In 2022-23, West Ham finished 14th and won the Conference League. Take away Europe’s richest and England dominates.
Economic muscle remains a primary driver of this trend. According to the 2026 Deloitte Money List, 15 of the 20 Premier League clubs were ranked within the top 30 globally. With annual television rights revenues exceeding £1.37 billion, English clubs possess financial resources that dwarf their counterparts in La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.
This financial disparity was further evidenced by the summer transfer window, where English clubs set a record spending spree of £3.49 billion. Finance expert Kieran Maguire noted that outside of global giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG, Premier League teams can outspend virtually any other club, drawing significant overseas talent through superior wage structures. With the latter again setting a new transfer spend record of £3.49bn to dwarf their rival leagues, the summer transfer window was further evidence of Europe’s struggles against the Premier League. A significant proportion of overseas players are now choosing to play in England than elsewhere in Europe because of the wages on offer.
Despite this overwhelming dominance in secondary European tournaments, the Champions League remains a more difficult challenge. No English club featured in the top four of the latest Deloitte rankings, which were led by European powerhouses that have collectively won the Champions League five times in the last seven seasons.
When the stakes are highest, the English elite have struggled against these established giants. Over the past two campaigns, eight of nine English teams were eliminated from the Champions League by one of the ‘big four’ from the Money League, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Liverpool suffering an aggregate scoreline of 25-6 during last season’s exit.
While Manchester City won the title in 2023 and Arsenal reached the final last season, the Premier League’s top tier is still navigating the gap between domestic financial might and continental consistency at the very highest level of the game.
