Mbappe and Haaland upstage Messi and Ronaldo in Champions League best rated XI
The Champions League knock-out stage got off to a flying start this week with Paris Saint-Germain coming from behind to batter Barcelona at Camp Nou and Liverpool putting their recent woes behind them with a solid win away to RB Leipzig.
FC Porto claimed a shock 2-1 first leg victory over Juventus, while Borussia Dortmund just about saw out a 3-2 victory away to Sevilla. Liverpool, PSG and Dortmund all have one foot in the door after big away wins, while Juventus have given themselves a good chance of going through after Federico Chiesa's late goal in Portugal.
Many believe the midweek action was a changing of the guard moment, as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland dazzled while Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo toiled. Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned duo make our Champions League Team of the Week and the latter do not. Let's find out who joins them!
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool) - 7.33 rating
After a couple of really poor performances, Alisson was back to his best for Liverpool in their 2-0 win away to RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The Brazilian was very busy early on and then didn't have a save to make in the second half. Alisson also won one aerial duel and successfully claimed one cross.
Right-back: Wilson Manafa (FC Porto) - 7.39 rating
FC Porto required less than two minutes to score their opener and netted a second 60 seconds into the second half, with Wilson Manafa setting up Moussa Marega to convert the latter. In addition to his assist, Manafa also completed two dribbles and made as many tackles.
Centre-back: Ozan Kabak (Liverpool) - 7.52 rating
Ozan Kabak put a nightmare Liverpool debut behind him to turn in an assured performance against familiar foe RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The 20-year-old won two aerial duels and completed seven tackles and interceptions combined. He played a key role in preventing RB Leipzig from testing Alisson once in the second half.
Centre-back: Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain) - 7.33 rating
Marquinhos was calmness personified despite the wild nature of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona's meeting, typically completing 95.7% of his attempted passes. The 26-year-old dribbled out from the back successfully on two occasions and made five tackles and interceptions combined to restrict Barcelona to just a penalty goal.
Left-back: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool) - 7.13 rating
It wasn't a thrilling Andrew Robertson performance but it was a dependable one as Liverpool took control of their round of 16 tie with RB Leipzig. Robertson made one tackle and three clearances to help Liverpool keep a clean sheet in Germany. The Liverpool left-back also completed more dribbles (3) than any other team-mate.
Right wing: Moise Kean (Paris Saint-Germain) - 8.79 rating
After a nightmare stint with Everton, Moise Kean is once again showing what a talent he is on loan at Paris Saint-Germain. Kean netted for the third game running in PSG's thumping of Barcelona to secure the third highest WhoScored rating from the midweek action. In addition to his goal, Kean also completed four dribbles, matching his tally from his previous five appearances in the competition combined. Not only that, but Kean worked hard off with the ball with three tackles and interceptions combined - more than he had managed in the competition all season (2).
Central midfield: Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain) - 8.07 rating
Not at full fitness by any means, but it didn't stop Marco Verratti from turning in a superb performance as PSG's No.10 against former suitors Barcelona. The Italy international somehow managed to find Mbappe for PSG's equaliser with brillantly crafted ball in the penalty area and later made a superb tackle on the edge of his own area to prevent a potential goalscoring chance. He completed five dribbles before coming off in the 72nd-minute and remarkably went through the entire evening without a yellow card.
Central midfield: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.90 rating
Jadon Sancho didn't cover himself in glory for Sevilla's opener but responded brilliantly, again linking superbly with Erling Haaland in attack. Sancho actually set up Haaland for Dortmund's second for his fifth goal involvement in the Champions League this season. Sancho had two efforts himself, almost scoring a wonderful solo goal but bending his effort the wrong side of the post. The 20-year-old also completed four dribbles.
Left wing: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 10.0 rating
Kylian Mbappe is our Champions League player of the week after his remarkable hat-trick away to Barcelona on Tuesday. Mbappe also completed 10 dribbles, one more than Barcelona managed as a team. Moreover, no player from the midweek action had more shots or did they register more key passes.
Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 8.89 rating
Erling Haaland later revealed Mbappe's hat-trick gave him extra motivation to take on Sevilla and he certainly delivered for the Bundesliga outfit. Dortmund came from 1-0 down to win the first leg 3-2, with Haaland playing a direct hand in all three goals. He shifted the ball to Mahmoud Dahoud for his stunning equaliser and then scored two goals himself to put Dortmund in control of their tie.
Striker: Mauro Icardi (Paris Saint-Germain) - 7.73 rating
Playing alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, albeit the latter was missing in midweek, there isn't often much attention paid to Mauro Icardi, who certainly doesn't deliver the same thrills as his aforementioned team-mates, but he did his job well against Barcelona. The 27-year-old was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet himself as his header flashed the wrong side of the post, one of three aerial duels won on the night. Icardi also registered three key passes and made as many tackles and interceptions combined in his first Champions League appearance of the season.
