At times, being a Bournemouth fan must feel like living in a simulation. That was certainly the case on Thursday night as the Cherries beat seven-time continental champions AC Milan 3-0 in only their third-ever European fixture. Justin Kluivert scored the opener at Vitality Stadium, 31 years after his father, Patrick, scored the winning goal for Ajax against Milan in the Champions League final.
Having seen their club narrowly avoid liquidation in 2008, few Bournemouth fans would have dreamed that famous name would one day appear on their shirts. "It's mega. In terms of the story of the club it's ridiculous," midfielder Ryan Christie told TNT Sports. While the sending off of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan killed the contest after 27 minutes, Bournemouth were by far the better side up until that point.
The result fits a broader pattern. English clubs played nine games in Europe this week, losing just once. Premier League clubs have lost just four of 26 games across the three continental competitions so far this season, and over the past two seasons they have won all 21 knockout ties against European opposition in the Conference League and Europa League.
The Champions League remains elusive for most, with only Manchester City lifting the trophy over the past five years. The explanation lies largely in money. Premier League clubs earn more than £1.37bn per season in television rights, a figure La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 could only match combined. Fifteen of last season's 20 Premier League teams featured in the top 30 of Deloitte's 2026 Money List, and Brighton are easily the richest club in the Conference League this season.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing