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One-Country and All-English European club finals h5j2n

How domestic league position and point margins influence the outcome 5y1u3g

Written by Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp is an experienced sports writer covering Soccer, NBA and NHL. He also writes in depth reviews of sports betting sites based on his personal experience.
, | Updated: May 19, 2025

Manchester United and Tottenham both secured their places in the Europa League final, but their celebrations were short-lived. Since qualifying for the showpiece event, each team recorded consecutive defeats in the Premier League. On top of that, Red Devils and Spurs failed to score a single goal in 180+ minutes of football.

These losses perfectly capture their turbulent domestic campaigns. Manchester United and Tottenham are neighbours in the Premier League standings, struggling in 16th and 17th place, with 39 and 38 points, respectively, and one round remaining. Yet, despite their poor league form, both clubs have excelled in Europe, reaching the decisive game in the Europa League.

But their showdown will be more than just another final. It will be the sixth all-English European club final in history, making the Premier League the domestic league with the most one-country finals, suring La Liga and Serie A, which have five each. Notably, it will also feature the smallest margin ever between two finalists from the same country, with just a single point separating Manchester United and Tottenham in the domestic standings.

This contrast between domestic struggles and European success inspired Sportingpedia to investigate how previous one-country European finals have unfolded. Our analysis covers all 18 such finals, examining each finalist’s domestic league finish, point tally, and the difference between them.

Number of one-nation European club finals in history 5i824

These unique matchups not only bring familiar rivals onto the grand stage but also reveal an intriguing connection between domestic performance and European success.

Key Takeaways: 665w5c

  • Out of 18 one-country European finals, the team with the higher league position won the trophy 12 times
  • The biggest gap between two finalists was 38 points, seen in the 2011 all-Portuguese final between Porto and Braga
  • The smallest gap between two European finalists was just two points, recorded in four different finals
  • Seven one-country European finals were decided between teams separated by five points or fewer in their domestic leagues
  • Three of these seven close finals were all-English, and in all three, the team with the higher league finish won the trophy

Who wins when teams from the same league meet in an European final 5k324j

In 12 of these 18 finals, the team that finished higher in their domestic league went on to lift the European trophy. This trend suggests that superior league form often translates into continental success.

One of the most striking examples of this came in the 2011 all-Portuguese Europa League final. Porto, who won the Primeira Liga with 84 points, an astonishing 38 points ahead of fourth-placed Braga, defeated their domestic rivals in the final. This 38-point gap remains the largest ever seen in a one-country European final, with ten other finals featuring a margin of 10 points or more between the two teams.

But not all one-country finals featured such massive gaps. In eight cases the clubs competing for European glory have been separated by less than 10 points. Four of those were decided between teams just two points apart in their domestic leagues, which remains the smallest margin ever recorded between finalists from one country:

2019 Europa League final: Chelsea (72 points) defeated Arsenal (70) 4-1
2008 Champions League final: Manchester United (87) defeated Chelsea (85) on penalties
2000 Champions League final: Real Madrid (62) overcame Valencia (64) 3-0
2016 Champions League final: Real Madrid (90) edged Atletico Madrid (88) on penalties

Who wins the European final when teams from the same league are separated by 5 or less points in domestic standings 696m1d

In the history of one-country European finals, the margin between the two finalists in their domestic league has often been tight. Out of the 18 such finals, there have been seven instances where the difference in final standings was five points or fewer. Remarkably, the team with the higher points total has won four of these seven closely contested finals, while the team with fewer points has triumphed three times.

Among these seven close encounters, three have been all-English finals, and all saw the team with the higher league standing triumph with the trophy.

1972
Uefa Cup

3

:

2

Tottenham

League Finish Points
6 51

Wolverhampton

League Finish Points
9 47

2008
Champions League

1

:

1

Won on penalties (6:5)

Manchester United

League Finish Points
1 87

Chelsea

League Finish Points
2 85

2019
Champions League

2

:

0

Liverpool

League Finish Points
2 97

Tottenham

League Finish Points
4 71

2019
Europa League

4

:

1

Chelsea

League Finish Points
3 72

Arsenal

League Finish Points
5 70

2021
Champions League

1

:

0

Chelsea

League Finish Points
4 67

Manchester City

League Finish Points
1 86

All-English finals in European club competitions 1531o

English clubs have featured prominently in these unique finals, appearing in five all-English European finals so far. In four of these encounters, the team that finished higher in the Premier League went on to win the European trophy. The only exception came in 2021, when Manchester City won the Premier League but lost the Champions League final to Chelsea, who finished fourth.

Tottenham and Manchester United have each experienced all-English European finals. Tottenham first appeared in an all-English final in 1972, winning the UEFA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate. 37 years later they reached the Champions League final but lost 2-0 to Liverpool, who finished second in the league with 97 points, 26 points ahead of Spurs. In contrast, Manchester United’s all-English final was a success. The Red Devils defeated Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 Champions League final. Domestically, United won the Premier League, finishing two points ahead of Chelsea.

The United vs Tottenham clash resembles the 2019 Chelsea-Arsenal Europa League final, where the Blues finished just two positions and two points ahead of the Gunners. Chelsea ended the season in third place on 72 points, while Arsenal finished fifth with 70.

History of one-country finals in European club competitions 6n1hq

Final’s Year Tournament Tournament Winner Score Winner Score Runner-Up Runner-Up League Position Winner League Position Runner-Up League Points Winner Points Runner-Up Difference in League Position Difference in Points
1972 UEFA Cup Tottenham 3 2 Wolverhampton 6 9 51 47 3 4
1980 UEFA Cup Eintracht Frankfurt 3 3 Borussia Monchengladbach 9 7 32 36 2 4
1990 UEFA Cup Juventus 3 1 Fiorentina 4 12 44 28 8 16
1991 UEFA Cup Inter 2 1 Roma 3 9 46 36 6 10
1995 UEFA Cup Parma 2 1 Juventus 3 1 63 73 2 10
1998 UEFA Cup Inter 3 0 Lazio 2 7 69 56 5 13
2000 Champions League Real Madrid 3 0 Valencia 5 3 62 64 2 2
2003 Champions League Milan 0 0 Juventus 3 1 61 72 2 11
2007 Europa League Sevilla 2 2 Espanyol 3 11 71 49 8 22
2008 Champions League Manchester United 1 1 Chelsea 1 2 87 85 1 2
2011 Europa League Porto 1 0 Braga 1 4 84 46 3 38
2012 Europa League Atletico Madrid 3 0 Athletic Bilbao 5 10 56 49 5 7
2013 Champions League Bayern Munich 2 1 Borussia Dortmund 1 2 91 66 1 25
2014 Champions League Real Madrid 4 1 Atletico Madrid 3 1 87 90 2 3
2016 Champions League Real Madrid 1 1 Atletico Madrid 2 3 90 88 1 2
2019 Champions League Liverpool 2 0 Tottenham 2 4 97 71 2 26
2019 Europa League Chelsea 4 1 Arsenal 3 5 72 70 2 2
2021 Champions League Chelsea 1 0 Manchester City 4 1 67 86 3 19
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 Author: Paul Kemp 565k4j

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