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Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are through to the Champions League

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are through to the Champions League
11.12.2014 16:00
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City ensure the Premier League will have three teams represented in the Champions League last 16, despite Liverpool's limp group stage exit.

The Gunners and Jose Mourinho's team cruised through their respective groups and are joined by the Premier League champions, whose stunning win in Rome sealed their progress. 

Here, Sportsmail gives you a guide to their Champions League exploits so far and who they can face in Monday's draw for the last 16 when the competition resumes in February.

So once again Arsenal will be going through the Champions League group stage, but once again it will be as runners-up.

Like in previous years there was very little doubt the Gunners would end up sailing through in Group D, despite an opening day loss at Borussia Dortmund.

The German side and the Gunners quickly became runaway leaders and the question became which one of the two would top the pile?

Head-to-head there was nothing between them so it ultimately came down to Dortmund's ability to comfortably beat Anderlecht and Galatasaray just a bit easier than Arsene Wenger's team managed, and sneak top spot on goal difference.

The next question is will the north London side have to yet again take on another European giant in the last 16? It's almost becoming a pattern. 

Like Arsenal, a stumble on the opening day following a Stamford Bridge home draw with Schalke was about as nervous as it got for Chelsea, as they cruised through Group G and had the group won with a game to spare.

The Blues' two big tests were brushed off, with a 1-0 win in Sporting Lisbon trumped by an emphatic 5-0 victory at Schalke as Jose Mourinho's outfit made light work of their supposed rivals in the group.

Their only slip up away from home came in the 1-1 draw at Maribor, but a 6-0 thrashing of the Slovenian minnows on the previous matchday meant the result was more of a nuisance than the start of a major panic.

Dreams of a second Champions League crown have remained steady as tougher tests will be sure to come at Stamford Bridge, but the current Premier League leaders are fourth favourites behind Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid heading into the last 16. 

By contrast to Chelsea and Arsenal, Manchester City looked like they were on a fast-ticket to a Champions League exit for a large majority of their group stage campaign.

Even with two games to play City hadn't won a game, and with a daunting home tie against Bayern Munich and a testing trip to Roma left - Manuel Pellegrini's side looked doomed.

But Sergio Aguero's stunning hat-trick to defeat the German champions, and a magnificent performance to win 2-0 in Roma saw City through in dramatic circumstances as group runners-up.

It leaves them with daunting last 16 prospects, but it keeps them feeding alongside Europe's elite which just about every City fan would have taken after sitting bottom and winless following a home defeat by CSKA Moscow after matchday four.

(dailymail.co.uk)

ANN.Az
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