Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt another crushing blow in their pursuit of Champions League football, as the Premier League has lost out on a fifth place for the 2024-25 tournament.
While the top four sides in English football will earn a direct ticket to the revamped Champions League next season, coefficient rankings offered up a fifth spot to teams based on their performances in this season's European competitions.
Italy - who have all of Atalanta BC, Roma and Fiorentina still vying for European glory - were the first nation to secure an additional Champions League place, before English hopes suffered damaging blows with a wave of exits.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool's eliminations from Europe severely harmed British chances of finishing in the top two of the coefficient rankings, and the final nail was hammered into the coffin on Wednesday evening.
A Niclas Fullkrug effort propelled Borussia Dortmund to a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain, after Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Germany earn fifth Champions League spot
Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen also have a Europa League semi-final with Roma on their agenda, but even before the first ball has been kicked in that tie, the Bundesliga was assured of Champions League place number five.
The news is particularly welcoming for Dortmund, who currently occupy fifth place in the Bundesliga table and have a five-point gap to make up to RB Leipzig with just three games of the season left to play.
Edin Terzic's side would earn direct qualification by winning this year's edition, but their current top-flight ranking would suffice if they fall short in their efforts for European glory this time around.
With Dortmund's victory on Wednesday evening, Germany now boast a 2023-24 coefficient score of 18.357, second to Italy's 19.428 and nearly a full mark higher than England's 17.375.
Premier League teams needed Villa to go all the way in the UECL and each of their German counterparts to suffer semi-final losses in their respective tournaments to earn a fifth spot, but Dortmund's success means that only the top four will go through to the top tier.
What does this mean for Man United and Tottenham?
Even before a ball was kicked in midweek, Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend extinguished their wafer-thin hopes of finishing in the top four of the table, as they have a 13-point gap to make up with 12 left to fight for.
Erik ten Hag's remain capable of catching Tottenham in fifth position, but such a ranking will only be good enough for Europa League football, meaning that there will be no Champions League nights at Old Trafford next season.
In contras, their North London counterparts can still pip Aston Villa to the fourth-placed post, and their Champions League fate was briefly back in their own hands thanks to the Lions' 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
However, owing to their 3-2 loss to North London foes Arsenal the next day, Spurs sit seven points behind Villa having played two fewer matches, so winning both of their matches in hand would not be enough to usurp Unai Emery's side.
While requiring Villa to slip up somewhere, Tottenham must seek perfection in their final five games of the season, starting with Thursday's London derby away to an injury-hit Chelsea. body check tags ::
