English clubs on the rise again in Europe

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) A series of convincing victories and table-topping performances by English clubs in Europe this week suggest the game's old powerhouse is once again producing electricity.

Primed by the wealth that has poured into the domestic game in recent years, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all looking good for a place in the knockout stage of the money-spinning Champions League.

Chelsea, the Premier League's strongest candidate for football's most coveted club trophy after two consecutive championships, were impressive in their 1-0 victory over holders Barcelona.

A third consecutive win kept them top of Group A, while Group C is led by Liverpool, with the 2005 Champions League winners enjoying a six-point lead over third-placed Galatasaray in the race for two slots in the next round.

United are top of Group F with nine points from three games, trailed by a Celtic side who must fancy their chances after beating Benfica 3-0 to go five points clear of the third-placed Portuguese club.

The only one of the five British contenders not to win, Arsenal, were ruing a disallowed strike by Thierry Henry in the final minutes at CSKA Moscow that consigned them to a 1-0 defeat.

However, the 2006 Champions League runners-up would return to the top of Group G with a revenge victory over the Russians in north London on November 1.

There was more good news for Britain on Thursday from the UEFA Cup, where Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Rangers all started the group phase with a win.

LONG TIME Such a dominant performance has been a long time in coming.

The Heysel tragedy in 1985, when 39 mainly Juventus fans were killed following a charge by Liverpool supporters before the European Cup final, led to a five-year ban for English clubs from European competition.

They have never fully recovered.

Of the eight European Cup finals before Heysel, English clubs won seven through Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, while Leeds United were losing finalists in 1975.

There was a false dawn in their first season back in 1990-91 when Manchester United won the European Cup Winners' Cup but it took a further eight years for an English club to reach the final of the by-then re-branded Champions League as United won it in 1999, with Liverpool victorious in 2005.

It is a similar story in Europe's lesser competitions, the UEFA Cup and now defunct Cup Winners Cup; in the 23 finals played since United's 1991 triumph, English clubs have triumphed on only three occasions.

Though they are unlikely to enjoy their previous domination ever again -- today's game now being unrecognisable in terms of money, television coverage and foreign players -- there are signs of a British comeback.

Liverpool's victory in 2005 was followed by Arsenal's place in last season's final which they were winning 1-0 until nine minutes from the whistle.

Helped by the seemingly limitless transfer funds available from their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea were semi-finalists in 2004 and 2005.

Under Jose Mourinho, whose Porto side lifted the trophy in 2004, they have the hunger to go all the way in 2007 and further demonstrate the revival of the English club power.

Reuters PDS VV2045