LONDON — The rest of Europe may not find it particularly exciting but the prospect of four Premier League teams in the quarterfinals of the Champions League underlines where the European football power base lies.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United saw off AC Milan, Olympiakos and Lyon with Liverpool taking a 2-0 lead to San Siro where it faces Inter Milan on Tuesday. Four out of four would be five-star stuff — United and Chelsea could even face each other in the finals of the F.A. Cup and Champions League in May.
The success of English clubs is no surprise. The influx of super-rich foreign owners plus the multibillion pound overseas television contract negotiated by the Premier League means England's elite clubs can compete with and beat the rest in the transfer market.