Bournemouth thrash AC Milan 3-0 as Premier League flexes its muscles in Europe

Bournemouth keep writing golden chapters in their European fairy tale. The Cherries thrashed AC Milan 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium, a result that makes it three wins from three continental outings and once again exposes the competitive chasm between Premier League clubs and the rest of the continent in the secondary competitions.

• Bournemouth maintain a perfect European record after beating Real Sociedad, Sturm Graz and AC Milan.
• Justin Kluivert scored the opener against Milan, 31 years after his father Patrick did so for Ajax in a Champions League final.
• Goalkeeper Mike Maignan's red card after 27 minutes ended any hope for the Italian side.
• Premier League clubs have lost just 4 of 26 matches played this season across European competitions.
• Over the past two seasons, English clubs have won all 21 knockout ties against foreign opposition in the Europa League and Conference League.

Dream night at the Vitality Stadium against an unrecognisable AC Milan

Being a Bournemouth fan these days must feel like living in an alternate reality. Watching their team comfortably dispatch a seven-time European champion in only their third continental appearance is something very few would have imagined a decade and a half ago. Justin Kluivert opened the scoring with a goal full of symbolism: his father Patrick had netted the winner for Ajax against the same Milan side in a European Cup final 31 years earlier.

The context makes it even more remarkable. In 2008, the club stood on the brink of liquidation, and many of the supporters packing the stands today lived through those dark years. Ryan Christie, the Bournemouth midfielder, summed it up simply: he pointed out that exactly 15 years ago Bournemouth sat 17th in League One, the third tier of English football. Being able to celebrate nights like this is, quite simply, extraordinary.

Maignan's red card finishes off a Milan side already on the ropes

The contest was effectively over in the 27th minute when Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan received his marching orders. However, it would be unfair to pin the outcome solely on that moment: Bournemouth had been clearly superior from the first whistle. Curiously, Milan fielded three English players in their starting line-up, one more than the two selected by the hosts.

The home side's dominance should not come as a complete shock, even considering Bournemouth have gathered just six points from seven league games while Milan sit fourth in Serie A. The three teams they have beaten this season in Europe —Real Sociedad, Sturm Graz and now Milan— have all competed in the Champions League within the past three years. For Bournemouth it is a dream; for the rest of Europe, it is starting to look like a nightmare with an English accent.

The financial might of the Premier League drives European supremacy

This season's numbers are devastating. English clubs played nine European matches this week and lost just one. Across the campaign, they have fallen in only four of 26 games across all three continental competitions, with Manchester United responsible for two of those defeats. The trend is even more brutal in knockout ties: over the last two seasons, Premier League sides have won all 21 Europa League and Conference League rounds they have played against foreign opposition. The only two eliminations suffered came in all-English clashes.

The explanation lies in the accounts. Fifteen of the 20 Premier League clubs feature in the top 30 of Deloitte's money ranking. Television rights generate more than £1.37 billion per season, a figure that La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 only match if their combined incomes are added together. It is no coincidence that Aston Villa won last season's Europa League with double Freiburg's revenue, or that Crystal Palace lifted the Conference League with a budget almost four times that of Rayo Vallecano.

A transfer market that widens the gap

The 2025 summer window only stretched the distance further. Premier League clubs once again broke their spending record, investing £3.49 billion in transfers, with 14 of the 20 most expensive summer deals heading to England. It is no longer just the traditional big six competing for talent: clubs from mid-table and lower down the standings are attracting players who once would have chosen more glamorous destinations on the continent.

With the exception of some of the global brands in football —Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich— the Premier League can outspend anyone. A significant proportion of overseas players are now choosing England for the wages on offer.

The quote belongs to football finance expert Kieran Maguire and sums up the reality of a league whose financial muscle acts as a magnet for European talent.

The Champions League remains English football's unfinished business

Despite this dominance in the secondary competitions, the Champions League remains elusive. In last season's elongated league phase, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all lost to English teams, but the story changes when the knockout rounds begin in earnest. Over the past two campaigns, eight of nine English clubs were eliminated by one of the four giants from Deloitte's money ranking.

Last year, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool fell by an aggregate score of 25-6. No English club features in the top four of Deloitte's list: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain occupy those positions. Five of the last seven Champions League titles have gone to teams from that quartet. Manchester City lifted the trophy in 2023 and Arsenal lost last season's final on penalties, but the English elite have yet to transfer to the top competition the superiority they display everywhere else.

Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace or Sunderland spearhead the English charge

When May arrives, the English flag in Europe could be carried by clubs far removed from the traditional big six. Bournemouth lead the Europa League with a perfect record, while in the Conference League Brighton, Crystal Palace and Sunderland remain in contention, although not all of them shone this week: the Seagulls were held to a goalless draw by Jablonec, Palace rescued a hard-earned point in Istanbul against Besiktas, and Sunderland wasted chances in their trip to Lech Poznan.