England's elite in pole position (0)
- 25 Feb 09, 10:01 PM
The English elite were all handed hazardous assignments in the last 16 of the Champions League - but Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have established a solid platform to move forward into the quarter-finals.
Qualification is still a work in progress for all four, but there is now a clear opportunity for the Premier League to take up half the allocation of places in the last eight of Europe's elite competition.
Liverpool take top honours for an outstanding 1-0 win against Real Madrid in The Bernabeu, but there was real merit in the work of the rest of the so-called "Big Four" as they once again attempt to place their imprint on the latter stages of the tournament.
Not a goal conceded at home or away and a lead in three out of four ties tells the story of a job well done after the first round of games.
