Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal have made history by making England the first country ever to have four representatives in the Champions League and Europa League finals in a single season. On Tuesday, Liverpool were the first club to book their place in the Champions League 2019 final, as they stunned Barcelona at Anfield to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg, scoring four goals to go through 4-3 on aggregate. On Wednesday, Mauro Pochettino’s Spurs pulled off a come-back of arguably greater magnitude against Ajax in Amsterdam. After having gone 3-0 down on aggregate following two first-half goals by the Dutch side, Spurs scored three away goals in the second half to secure their first-ever appearance in a Champions League/European Cup final. Chelsea-Arsenal make Europa League final an all-London affair On Thursday, a hat-trick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and an Alexandre Lacazette strike saw Arsenal win 4-2 at Valencia (7-3 on aggregate) to become the first team to reach the 2019 Europa League final. Meanwhile, Chelsea had a much more difficult task in overcoming Eintrecht Frankfurt at Stamford Bridge, in a game that went all the way to penalties, with Eden Hazard converting the final spot-kick to win the shootout 4-3. Liverpool and Spurs will now battle it out in the first all-English Champions League final since 2008, when Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties to secure their third European Cup title. Chelsea and Arsenal, meanhwhile, will make up the first all-English Europa League/UEFA Cup final since 1972, when Tottenham beat Wolves over two legs to become the inaugural winners of the newly formed competition.<doc-sep>The presence of four English clubs in the finals of Europe's two major club competitions raises several questions, most pertinently: How has it come to this? The simple answer: Money scores goals. Over the past five years, the current 20 Premier League clubs have spent a combined net total of 3.287 billion pounds (€3.807 billion, $4.276 billion) on new signings. And, with a new television broadcasting deal worth 4.464 billion pounds and Premier League clubs owned by an increasingly exclusive circle of Russian oligarchs, American businessmen and Middle Eastern sheikhs, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. In the same period, Italian clubs in Serie A have spent €600.40 million, Spanish La Liga clubs have spent €427.09 million, and Bundesliga sides here in Germany have recorded a mere €135.76 million net spent. The equation looks straightforward, but the reality is far more nuanced. The sums spent may differ hugely, but the sporting margins remain fine. DW's Matt Ford Fine margins Earlier this month, Eintracht Frankfurt were just 12 yards (11 meters) away from a first European final since their 1980 UEFA Cup triumph, losing out on penalties to a Chelsea team backed by a Russian oligarch since 2003. About 24 hours earlier, a young Ajax side were a matter of seconds away from a first Champions League final since 1995, losing to a Tottenham side that had already overcome a Manchester City team constructed using over 1.3 billion pounds of Middle-Eastern money since 2008. And before that, Liverpool produced a historic comeback against a team to whom they had sold two of their best former players in Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho, and without two of their current best players in Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino. "It's not about money," insisted head coach Jürgen Klopp. "We went through because of our desire and so did Tottenham." Klopp deserves much credit, and of course Liverpool are hardly financial minnows themselves, but the feat would also not have been possible without a Catalan cataclysm which cannot be explained by dollar signs alone. Indeed, Europe's very biggest spenders are nowhere to be seen this week, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City knocked out in earlier rounds. The less said about Manchester United, the better. Clearly, money isn't everything. Eintracht Frankfurt were only inches away from the final, Ajax only seconds The cyclical world of football Five English clubs reached Champions League finals between 2005 and 2009, including an all-English affair in Moscow in 2008 when Manchester United beat Chelsea. Just six years ago, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund faced off in the Champions League final at Wembley less than 14 months before Germany lifted the World Cup in Brazil. In 2013, German football was riding the crest of a wave that has since crashed on the shore. Every Champions League final since then has featured a Spanish club, including two Madrid derbies between Atletico and Real. Similarly, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla have won five of the last seven Europa League finals. Footballing trends, whether financial, tactical or both, come and go, and reactionary demands to spend more and more money in order to keep up are neither sensible nor helpful. Eintracht Frankfurt and their supporters have had experiences which money can't buy Be careful what you wish for In Germany, such demands inevitably lead to the debate over the 50+1 rule and whether or not German football clubs should open themselves up to outside investment. But be careful what you wish for. The four clubs competing in this year's finals may be English in name, but there's little English about them in nature. Two are owned by Americans, one by a Russian. The head coaches are from Germany, Argentina, Italy and Spain. And of the 44 players who started the four semifinals, only eight were English. Arguably the only English thing about the four clubs involved are the four sets of match-going supporters. And when you consider the remote location of the Europa League final in Baku and the prices and availability of tickets for the Champions League final in Madrid, it becomes evidently clear that they're irrelevant as well. These aren't actually all-English finals at all; they are all-Premier League finals between international Premier League clubs with global Premier League fan bases watching predominantly on television. The contrast could be seen in the away end at Stamford Bridge in the Europa League semifinal second leg, and indeed in every stadium across Europe that has housed Eintracht Frankfurt's fanatical supporters this season. Those Frankfurt fans control their club and their club puts them first, offering affordable tickets, emphasizing an authentic matchday experience over a television product and promoting an active and independent fan culture. It's a similar story at most clubs across Germany. Jürgen Klopp is right: Football is not all about money. But even if it were, there are some things money can't buy.<doc-sep>Both the Europa League final and the Champions League final will be all-English encounters for the first time in history. Arsenal reached the Europa League final, sweeping aside Valencia 4-2 away from home in untypical Gunners fashion, to provide some consolation for one half of North London. Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng smashed a hat trick at the Mestalla. His superbly-taken volley to cancel out Valencia's opener was arguably the pick of the goals. Check out his ice cold celebration with Lacazette in front of the home fans. WAKANDA FOREVER! Arsenal hit back!! :punch: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabs a massive away goal... Brilliant from Lacazette, and a clinical finish :raised_hands: pic.twitter.com/fzhsHdwtvZ - Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 9, 2019 Advert 10 They will face London rivals Chelsea in the final. The Blues sent Eintracht Frankfurt packing on penalties at the Bridge - following a 1-1 draw (2-2 on aggregate) after being made to sweat by the Germans. The results mean the clubs - which are currently separated by four points in the Premier League - will play each other in the final of the Europa League on 29 May at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Liverpool will take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final on 1 June at the Estadio Metropolitano in north-east Madrid, Spain. The all-English Champions League final looked extremely unlikely at various points over the course of the last two days though. Advert 10 Both European club competitions will have all-English finals for the first time in history. Credit: PA Liverpool had to overturn a three-goal deficit at Anfield to knock out La Liga champions Barcelona, progressing to the final with a stunning 4-3 aggregate victory. Spurs looked more likely to stage a comeback going into their away tie against Ajax last (Wednesday) night, having lost the first leg at home by a goal to nil. However, the youthful Dutch side raced to a 2-0 lead at the Johan Cruyff arena, meaning Tottenham needed to score three goals without reply in the second half in order to go through. They did just that courtesy of a hat-trick from Brazilian Lucas Moura, who scored his third in the 96th minute of the game to send Spurs through on away goals. Advert 10 Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino - who was tearful at the end of the game - said he thinks the all-English final will be 'amazing'. He said: "I think it's one of the most important nights in my life. "To get the club to the final of the Champions League... I think is very close to a miracle. Advert 10<doc-sep>
Manchester United won the Champions League in 2008 (Picture: Popperfoto/Getty Images) The possibility of an all-English Champions League is very much alive after Liverpool’s spectacular victory over Barcelona in the semi-finals on Tuesday night. The Reds lost the first leg 3-0 in Spain but turned in a near-perfect performance to beat the Catalans 4-0 at Anfield and make it to the Champions League final for the second time in as many years. The responsibility now lies with Tottenham to produce a remarkable comeback of their own as they take on Ajax in Amsterdam in Wednesday night. Spurs lost the home leg 1-0 so the odds are stacked against them in Holland, but after watching Liverpool’s resurrection against Barca, anything is possible. If Mauricio Pochettino’s side can oust the Dutch team then they will set up the first all-English Champions League final since 2008. John Terry missed a penalty for Chelsea in the shootout (Picture: Popperfoto/Getty Images) The last time two Premier League sides contested the Champions League final was Chelsea and Manchester United’s meeting at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in 2008. It had been an exceptional year for English sides in Europe with Liverpool being knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Arsenal ousted by Man Utd in the semis. Chelsea beat Barcelona in the final four to set up the clash with the Red Devils, but it was United that triumphed in Russia. The game finished 1-1 after Frank Lampard cancelled out a Cristiano Ronaldo opener to take the game to extra-time and, eventually, penalties. Ronaldo missed from the spot for United, but then John Terry slipped to miss his, before Nicolas Anelka also failed from 12 yards to see Alex Ferguson’s team lift the trophy. This was the only time in the history of the Champions League or its former guise of the European Cup that two English sides have met in the final. However, it has happened in the Europa League/UEFA Cup, when Tottenham beat Wolves in the final of the first ever edition of the tournament in 1972. MORE : Liverpool’s Andy Robertson should have been sent off for Lionel Messi incident against Barcelona, says ex-referee MORE : What Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool players before thrashing Barcelona 4-0 in Champions League semi-final