Arsenal ensured at least one Premier League team reached the Champions League quarter-finals as they swept aside Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium.
But it was another bad night for Manchester City, who suffered a familiar exit at the hands of European rivals Real Madrid and for a Chelsea side who were outclassed once again by Paris St Germain.
Elsewhere, international silverware swapped hands as Senegal were stripped of the African Cup of Nations title two months after their acrimonious final win against newly-crowned champions Morocco.
Eze earns Arteta praise
Eberechi Eze celebrates his memorable strike for Arsenal
Eberechi Eze celebrates his memorable strike for Arsenal(Bradley Collyer/PA)
Mikel Arteta was glowing about Eberechi Eze’s moment of inspiration as Arsenal defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
‘When the doubts are there, you fight back and show what you’re about’ - David Healy hits out at doubters after Linfield edge out Glentoran in Bet McLean League Cup finalLiam Rosenior says Chelsea’s season will not derail after Champions League exit
The England international unleashed a 20-yard beauty to settle the Gunners before Declan Rice finished things off to set up a meeting with Sporting Lisbon in the next round.
Eze has taken his time to adjust to life with the Gunners following his £67.5million summer move from Crystal Palace, but Arteta likes what he is seeing now.
“We needed a magical moment from Ebs to score a wonderful goal,” said the Gunners boss.
“I think he’s playing every three days now. He has the rhythm, he has understanding with his team-mates as well, what we want. His level of activity with the ball, without the ball, in the spaces that he moves, the purpose that he’s showing every time he’s in and around the box as well, which is the reason why he’s here, to create those kind of moments.”
“He’s handling the pressure, the situation and the expectations very well.”
Guardiola bullish on City prospects
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists things will get better
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists things will get better(Martin Rickett/PA)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed “the future will be bright” for his team despite coming second best to familiar foes Real Madrid once again.
Real have now ended City’s European dreams four times in the last five years, Vinicius Junior scoring twice in a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium. That made it 5-1 across both games, with City’s hopes of a turnaround faltering with Bernardo Silva’s 20th-minute red card.
But Guardiola was upbeat about what lies ahead – and gave a heavy hint that he still plans on being part of it.
“The future will be bright and next season we will be back. Today, 5-1, we congratulate Madrid, but…I would have loved to have played 11 against 11, but football happens,” he said.
“Prepare good decisions for next season and next season and next season, we will be back in the Champions League. That is what we have to do.”
Guardiola’s reference to next season was noteworthy given continuing speculation that this might be his last in Manchester, with one year left on his contract.
Asked directly if his comments meant he was staying, he said: “I will say I will be back, because I am part of that. I am incredibly attached to that club, that organisation, because it has been
one decade, and when I say ‘we’ it’s because I’m part of that.”
Rosenior targets Chelsea fightback
We exit the Champions League. #CFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/oKN4t7f1Q1
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 17, 2026
Liam Rosenior said it is his job to make sure Chelsea’s season is not derailed after their 8-2 aggregate loss to PSG – only for Enzo Fernandez to add to his problems.
The result was a record two-legged defeat for the Blues in Europe and just like in the first leg at the Parc des Princes, it was individual mistakes which were their undoing. Mamadou Sarr, brought in for his debut in the competition with Reece James and Malo Gusto ruled out, made a horrible error to gift Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a goal after six minutes and things only got worse from there.
“Six minutes in and another mistake,” said Rosenior. “It takes the wind from our sails. Obviously, we wanted to put up more of a fight than we did.
“We need to be resilient. We need to make sure go to Everton (on Saturday) with organisation, freshness and intensity. That’s my job. How I go about that is how we always go about it.”
But Fernandez, named captain for the night in James’ absence, later declined to commit his future to the club.
Asked by ESPN if he would be with the club next season, Fernandez said: “I don’t know, there are eight games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see.”
Senegal stripped of AFCON title, Morocco crowned
The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”),…
— CAF Media (@CAF_Media) March 17, 2026
Morocco were named as African Cup of Nations champions, with Senegal’s controversial win overturned two months after its acrimonious conclusion.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made the dramatic decision after an appeal board determined the Senegal team had forfeited the match when they left the field in protest at a disputed penalty deep in stoppage time.
The walk off, instigated by coach Pape Thiaw, led to a lengthy delay, and when the game was belatedly restarted Brahim Diaz saw his spot-kick saved by Edouard Mendy. Pape Gueye went on to score the winning goal in extra time, but there was unrest in the crowd and recriminations in the aftermath.
Having studied the circumstances, the appeal board took the unprecedented step of reversing the result – effectively stripping Senegal of the trophy and handing it to the tournament hosts. The judgment sees the match recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco, who are now celebrating their second AFCON title.
Morocco welcomed the verdict in an initial response which read: “The Federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.”
What’s on today?
Another bumper night of Champions League action awaits, with three more teams fighting to make it through to the final eight.
Newcastle have everything to play for as they eye a famous night at the Nou Camp following their 1-1 draw with Barcelona last week. Liverpool will also fancy their chances of overturning a one-goal deficit as they welcome Galatasaray to Anfield.
But the deck is heavily stacked against Tottenham after their chaotic 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg.
Southampton host Norwich in the Championship and there are two WSL fixtures, second-placed Manchester United at West Ham and defending champions Chelsea hosting Brighton.