Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Thu 19 March 2026 7:10, UK

Tottenham Hotspur joined a host of Premier League sides in setting an unwanted Champions League record.

Igor Tudor’s side faced an uphill task to reach the quarter-finals of the competition after losing the first leg in Madrid 5-2.

And although they ended up losing the tie 7-5 on aggregate, Tottenham grabbed their first win under Tudor with a spirited 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.

Randal Kolo Muani and a Xavi Simons brace secured Spurs a late win, with the visitors scoring through Julian Alvarez and David Hancko in the second half.

While there are shoots of positivity at Tottenham after this win over Atletico, they joined Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United in creating some unwelcome history for English clubs.

Tottenham’s unwelcome history in Champions League

After Tottenham’s battling point at Liverpool on Sunday, Spurs impressed again, this time against Diego Simeone’s side.

Tottenham had 18 shots on goal, 11 of which were on target, and created an Expected Goals tally of 2.45 versus Atletico’s 1.04.

They edged the visitors for aerial duels won (14 vs six), total passes (415 vs 404), and their goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, had fewer saves to make (five vs eight).

Despite all those positives, they made Champions League history for all the wrong reasons. They lost by two goals on aggregate, while Newcastle lost 8-3, while Chelsea suffered an 8-2 reverse to Paris Saint-Germain and City went out with a 5-1 aggregate score to Real Madrid.

As per Opta, this is the first time ever that four sides from a single nation have all been eliminated at the same stage of a season in the UEFA Champions League

Six teams reached the last-16 of the Champions League, with five of them (including Tottenham) securing an automatic passage to that round due to finishing in the top eight of the league phase.

But only Liverpool and Arsenal made it into the quarter-finals after beating Galatasaray and Bayer Leverkusen over the two legs. The Gunners take on Sporting CP next while Liverpool lock horns with PSG.

Injuries handicapping Tottenham as form returns

While Spurs have been dire for months now and haven’t won in the Premier League since 28 December, Tottenham may be rousing from their slumber after beating Atletico.

Tudor had mixed emotions after the win but was encouraged by what he saw ahead of a crunch clash with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday in the league.

“The sensations are mixed,” he said. “You don’t like to not get through, but it was a very good performance. It was a beautiful sensation on the pitch with the fans who were really there together with the squad and the team from the first moment.

“The energy was really nice from the first moment and the fans recognised the team did everything from the first minute to the last and they were with us – beautiful, thanks.”

But one thing that has undoubtedly made their task harder is their injury issues. Talismanic stars Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison haven’t played at all this season.

Mohammed Kudus has been sidelined for much of 2026, as has midfielder Lucas Bergvall. Indeed, this season, Tottenham’s squad has sustained 33 injuries, with their players being out for a combined 1,128 days.

They have had the same total injuries as Arsenal, but are ahead of Chelsea (31), Newcastle (28), City and Liverpool (23). The Premier League average is 23 and 676 days lost in total before a player returns to action.

If they can get anyone else back from injury in their relegation fight, that will certainly help.