Team of the week
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
The Belgian was one of six goalkeepers to achieve a clean sheet on Matchday 8. Indeed in Madrid's victory at Brest, his collection of shots saved had the highest xG (Expected Goals) out of those six keepers, 1.67. It was his third shutout of the league phase.
Arjan Malić (Sturm Graz)
The teenager scored the only goal of the game against Leipzig – his first for Sturm – and he shone defensively too. "He did not allow the opposition much," said the UEFA match observer of Malić, who stopped three 1v1 dribbles and made 16 ball recoveries (seven in the opposition half).
Ronald Araújo (Barcelona)
Barcelona's skipper headed their second goal in the home draw against challenging opponents in Atalanta. As well as his excellent distribution, he caught the eye for his ability to step forward to win the ball back – completing six pressure regains.
Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
The UEFA match observer praised the veteran's show of authority and experience in the 2-0 win at Juventus. "He was the leader of the defence. Position-wise he was always in the right place." This meant that Otamendi was well-positioned to win balls back, including five in Juve territory, as well as to win five aerial duels.
Mitchel Bakker (Lille)
Against his compatriots from Feyenoord, the Dutch full-back displayed his attacking qualities with an assist and four key passes in the outstanding 6-1 victory that secured Lille a top-eight finish.
Mateo Kovačić (Man City)
With his equalising goal, Kovačić provided the spark for the comeback that got City into the knockout phase play-offs. Moreover, he kept the ball flowing (with 97% passing accuracy) and showed his ball-winning powers too. "He was good at keeping the ball and managing the tempo of the game," said the UEFA observer.
Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern)
A controlling presence in the centre for Bayern, he effected 18 deep progressions – meaning passes or ball carries into the final third – and also won back ten balls in the Slovan half. "He plays it simple and always forward," said the match observer. "He doesn't lose a lot of balls but recovers many and is very intelligent in his play."
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris)
"He wasn't only brilliant with the ball but was a great leader and fought for his team too," said the match observer of the Paris winger who hit a hat-trick in Stuttgart and also worked hard off the ball, producing 26 pressures.
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
The 22-year-old's hat-trick against Celtic came on a night he excelled with his forward runs as well as the quality of his finishing. His two quick early strikes set the tone for Villa – and his late third completed the first treble of his senior career.
Antoine Griezmann (Atleti)
In 65 minutes on the pitch Griezmann highlighted once more his enduring importance to Atleti. He hit two goals (taking his tally in this season's competition to six), provided a key pass and was typically industrious out of possession too.
Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
Another of the night's hat-trick heroes, the Argentina forward combined impressively with fellow attacker Marcus Thuram and displayed his desire for goals, illustrated by his efforts to get into the box on the end of crosses.