Declan Rice's howitzers against Real Madrid have handed boosts to Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca.
Although Tuesday night's Champions League action at the Emirates Stadium will be remembered for Declan Rice scoring two stunning free-kicks in Arsenal's 3-0 success over Real Madrid, other Premier League clubs watched with interest.
The Gunners were the more coherent side in the opening half and turned the screw after the interlude to overpower Los Blancos to carry a healthy advantage into next week's second leg in Madrid.
An already memorable night got even better when Mikel Merino netted a third for the Gunners, whose defensive astuteness should see them through despite Los Blancos' penchant for the astounding in Europe's premier club competition.
With Tuesday's triumph, Arsenal have effectively done the entire Premier League a favour, though it was a probable eventuality.
England secure fifth Champions League spot for 2025-26
Due to the strong performances of Premier League clubs across all European competitions this season, England have secured a top-two position in UEFA's association club coefficient rankings.
The achievement grants the Premier League a "European Performance Spot" (EPS), allowing not just the top four clubs but also the fifth-placed team in the league to qualify directly for the Champions League next season.
Furthermore, the winners of the current season's Champions League and the Europa League will each obtain a place in the 2025-26 Champions League, assuming they have not qualified through their league standings.
This could potentially enable as many as seven Premier League teams to participate in the Champions League next season: the top five in the league, plus the Champions League winners and Europa League winners if they finish outside the top five, possibly Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United.
The process for determining which leagues receive extra Champions League places involves UEFA calculating coefficient points based on their clubs' performances in the Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
Points are awarded based on match outcomes - two points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss.
Additional bonus points are given depending on the clubs' final placements within their respective leagues, which vary according to the competition, with the best placements earning more points.
Bonus points are also awarded for progressing to later rounds in each tournament, further influencing the overall rankings.
Which Premier League clubs are in contention?
With Liverpool and Arsenal's places all but sewn up, that leaves three spots to be taken.
Third-placed Nottingham Forest (57 points) and 10th-placed Bournemouth are separated by 12 points, ostensibly ruling out Andoni Iraola's men.
While there is unlikely to be a 12-point swing, the Cherries have an outside chance of catching Chelsea (53) or Newcastle United (53) in fourth and fifth, respectively; Newcastle have an outstanding match to play, which could take them to 56 points.
Also in contention are Manchester City (52), Aston Villa (51), Fulham (48) and Brighton & Hove Albion (47) heading into the final seven games.
What's next for Premier League clubs?
The Premier League continues this weekend with Pep Guardiola's men aiming to take advantage of playing first in gameweek 32.
The Cityzens host Crystal Palace in Saturday's lunchtime fixture.
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