Europa League draw LIVE: Liverpool and West Ham learn quarter-final fate
Liverpool have drawn Italian side Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals while West Ham face Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen
Liverpool will face Italian opposition in the Europa League quarter-finals in the form of Atalanta, while fellow Premier League side West Ham will take on one of the toughest teams remaining in the competition – Bayer Leverkusen – after the draw took place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are the slight favourites to win the tournament after thrashing Sparta Prague 11-2 in the last 16 and will play Atalanta in the quarter-finals with the first leg at Anfield, while West Ham overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to down Freiburg this week but now face another German side, with the mammoth task of Xabi Alonso’s all-conquering Leverkusen in front of them.
The first quarter-final drawn out was a tasty all-Italian clash between AC Milan and Roma, where the sides will renew a rivalry that has seen them both climb into Serie A’s top five this season, while Benfica of Portugal and French side Marseille will also do battle for a spot in the semi-finals.
If Liverpool were to beat Atalanta, they would take on the winner of Benfica-Marseille for a place in the final, while the Hammers’ reward for upsetting the odds against a Leverkusen side that haven’t lost a single game this season would be a semi-final against AC Milan or Roma.
Follow live updates from the Europa League draw below.
How they got here: Raya pulls out the stops to end Arsenal’s long wait
David Raya pulls out the stops, so Arsenal keep going. They used every drop of energy that Mikel Arteta demanded to squeeze past Porto by single kick and make their first Champions League quarter-final since 2010. That came from the first Champions League shootout since the 2015-16 final. Raya made one brilliant save from Galeno and a relatively lucky one from Wendell, the second more forceful enough and fittingly sending Arsenal through.
In such situations, there might be questions about the physical and mental cost of such a game, but Arteta’s side now don’t have another game for 19 days. They also have something uniquely positive to think about, after smashing a real block in this most illustrious of competitions. Not even Arsene Wenger got this far very often. Arteta has done it in his first go.
Full report by Miguel Delaney:
David Raya pulls out the stops to end Arsenal’s long Champions League wait
Arsenal 1-0 Porto (1-1 agg, 4-2 pens): The Spanish goalkeeper made two full-stretch saves in the penalty shootout to book the Gunners’ a place in the last eight for the first time in 14 years
Europe League quarter-final draw
Our live coverage of the Europa League quarter-final draw will follow the Champions League draw.
Rangers and Brighton were knocked out last night, but Liverpool and West Ham are among eight teams in the hat:
- AC Milan (ITA)
- Atalanta (ITA)
- Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
- Benfica (POR)
- Liverpool (ENG)
- Marseille (FRA)
- Roma (ITA)
- WestHam (ENG)
The Europa League draw is scheduled to start at 12pm GMT.
How they got here: Underwhelming Real Madrid edge past Leipzig
Real Madrid saw off RB Leipzig to advance to the last eight of the Champions League, despite an underwhelming performance.
The home side were jeered at times by their own supporters during the 1-1 draw with Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu. But a 1-0 win away from home in the first leg ensured that a draw with enough to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Vinicius Jr clipped home Jude Bellingham’s pass to go ahead in the tie during the second half, and although captain Willi Orban scored for Leipzig a few minutes later, converting one of their many chances, they could not score another to force extra time.
How they got here: City ease past Copenhagen
Manchester City made short work of FC Copenhagen with a 3-1 second-leg win at the Etihad Stadium to complete a 6-2 aggregate victory.
Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland ensured it was an easy night for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Everything you need to know about the Champions League draw
Arsenal and Manchester City await a blockbuster Champions League draw as the path to the Wembley final is revealed.
This year’s final will be held at Wembley Stadium in June with Manchester City hoping to secure another tournament crown. Pep Guardiola’s side won their first European Cup by beating Inter Milan in Istanbul last year and progressed to the quarter-finals thanks to a 6-2 aggregate win over FC Copenhagen.
Arsenal were able to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Porto - but they needed the first Champions League penalty shoot-out since the 2016 final as they returned to the last-eight for the first time since 2010 on a dramatic night at the Emirates.
They are joined in the last-eight by star-studded line-up of some of European football’s biggest names, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund their potential quarter-final opponents.
The draw will reveal not just the quarter-final fixtures, but the possible semi-final ties as well. It will be the last time Uefa holds a Champions League draw manually, with the procedure changing to a computerised system when the competition switches formats next season.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is the Champions League quarter-final draw?
Everything you need to know ahead of the last eight draw
How they got here: Mbappe fires PSG past Real Sociedad
Kylian Mbappe’s brace saw Paris Saint-Germain cruise into the quarter-finals, with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad completing a 4-1 aggregate victory.
With a 2-0 lead in their pocket from the first leg, PSG were comfortable throughout.
Mbappe, the top scorer across Europe’s top five leagues so far this season, offered an early warning sign when he turned a shot narrowly over the bar from Fabian Ruiz’s cut-back in the fifth minute.
PSG were the dominant force and went ahead after 15 minutes through Mbappe’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, bending the ball across goal and inside the far post.
Mbappe punished Sociedad again 11 minutes into the second half, bursting on to Lee Kang-in’s through ball and whipping the ball in majestically at the near post. Mikel Merino scored a consolation for Sociedad a minute from time.
How they got here: Kane leads Bayern past Lazio after first-leg defeat
Harry Kane fired Bayern Munich into the quarter-finals of the Champions League as the German side overturned a first-leg deficit against Lazio with a 3-0 win at the Allianz Arena.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Rome, Bayern were kept out until Kane headed home from close range – his 50th goal in European competition. Thomas Muller doubled the lead on the night with another header seconds before the break, and Kane sealed their progress after Leroy Sane’s shot was parried into the path of the England captain, who had to adjust his feet sharply to score his second on the night and 33rd Bayern goal in as many appearances.
Which teams are in the quarter-finals?
Eight of the biggest teams in Europe have made it to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League this year, which promises to produce some thrilling heavyweight showdowns.
Three teams from Spain, two from Germany, two from England and one from France comprise the final eight:
- Arsenal
- Atletico Madrid
- Barcelona
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
- Manchester City
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Real Madrid
Champions League quarter-final draw
Good morning and welcome along to The Independent’s live coverage of the Champions League draw, as the quarter-final and possible semi-final ties are revealed ahead of the final at Wembley Stadium on 25 May.
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