Another thrilling round of Champions League action saw some notable results. Among those was a 4-1 hammering for Man City at the hands of Sporting Lisbon, and a shock win for AC Milan at Real Madrid.
Liverpool stamped their authority on the competition with a staggering 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. But, who were the standout players in matchday 4? You can find our Champions League team of the week here.
Champions League Team of the Week
Goalkeeper: Caoimhin Kelleher
Liverpool have been without Alisson for the last month, but Caoimhin Kelleher has served as a more than capable deputy.
The Irish international once again proved his worth in the 4-0 win over Leverkusen, achieving an 8.4 match rating with FotMob.Kelleher achieved a 79% pass completion and made four excellent saves to put Liverpool on their way to an eye-catching success.
Right-Back: Geovany Quenda
Sporting’s 4-1 win over Man City captured the headlines, with a certain Scandinavian making all the news. However, Geovany Quenda deserved a special mention.
The 17-year-old registered an assist in the success, and was efficient at both ends of the field. The wing-back won five duels on the right-hand side of defense, and made four recoveries in the transition.
Central Defense: Ryan Flamingo
PSV have been eye-catching in the Champions League this season, and their big 4-0 success against Girona was built on an excellent defensive performance. At the heart of that was showing from 21-year-old Dutchman Ryan Flamingo, who is fully deserving of a place in the Champions League team of the week.
He netted in the win over the Spanish side, and also achieved some solid defensive stats. Flamingo made one block, a clearance, and four recoveries. He could be a player to watch as the Champions League progresses.
Central Defense: Thilo Kehrer
Another match-winning defender on matchday four was Thilo Kehrer. The former PSG star netted the winner for AS Monaco against Bologna, and achieved an 8.2 overall rating.
He was a formidable forces in the defensive areas, making four clearances, two interceptions, and two recoveries. Kehrer was dominant against the Bologna forward line, winning three duels, and boasted a 67% win rate in aerial duels.
Left-Back: Maxim De Cuyper
A controversial penalty saw Club Brugge overcome the odds to beat Aston Villa on Wednesday. However, much of their success was achieved based on their solid defensive performance.
Maxim De Cuyper was Brugge’s top-rated player on the night and defended excellently against Villa’s attacking stars. The 23-year-old won 33% of his tackles and made five defensive actions. Furthermore, he won three of his duels against Villa and made seven recoveries.
Right Midfield: Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah did not score a goal in the Champions League in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. However, the world-class star did make European history at Anfield. Salah recorded his fourth assist of the Champions League, the highest tally in the competition this season.
It is also the highest tally of assists that he has recorded in a single edition of the tournament. The 32-year-old also achieved an 87% pass completion rate, and created five scoring opportunities for the Reds.
Central Midfield: Edimilson Fernandes
Edimilson Fernandes has been rolling back the years in the Champions League for the eye-catching Brest this season. The French side are on the verge of an unlikely progression through to the next round, and the 28-year-old has been at the heart of their progression.
The midfielder netting in Brest’s match at Sparta Prague on Wednesday, and achieved a match-high rating. He completed 50% of his long passes, and made two interceptions and five recoveries.
Central Midfield: Tijani Reijnders
AC Milan’s win at Real Madrid has blown the Champions League wide open, and Tijani Reijnders was eye-catching with offensive and defensive work. The central midfielder netted the crucial third goal at the Bernabeu, and wasn’t overworked in the middle of the park against Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric.
The midfielder won two duels, and made one recovery in Madrid. His energy was hugely important in AC Milan’s transitional tactic to get the ball forward as quickly as possible.
Left Midfield: Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn
One of the shock results in the Champions League saw Celtic overcome Bundesliga high-flyers RB Leipzig. Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn has been eye-catching in the SPL this season, and he continued his progression on the European stage to turn Tuesday’s game on its head.
Kuhn netted the equalizing goal before smashing home from close range on the stroke of halftime to put Celtic ahead. The German achieved a 67% shot accuracy and made 60% successful dribbles.
Striker: Viktor Gyokeres
Tuesday’s match was all about a tall Scandinavian striker, but this time he wasn’t wearing a sky blue jersey. Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival as one of the world’s best forwards was cemented with a stunning hat-trick against Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
The Swede scored three from five shots, and outperformed his 2.44 xG. Gyokeres finished the match with a 100% shot accuracy, and rumors are already swirling that he could follow Ruben Amorim to Man United next summer.
Striker: Luis Diaz
A second hat-trick on matchday four was netted by Luis Diaz, as the Colombian impressed in a new-look Liverpool forward line. Diaz scored three times from four shots, and achieved an impressive 9.6 match rating with 9.6.
The 27-year-old outperformed his xG of 1.64 with the hat-trick, and completed the match with a pass completion rate of 88%. Such was the level of his performance, he could retain the number nine role for Liverpool against Aston Villa on Saturday.
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