Dropping down to sixth place in our rankings, Cancelo missed out on the Real Madrid game after being suspended for City’s semi-final first leg.
His no-show drops him down to sixth place, however, his absence demonstrated just how important he is for this City team, with the defence not looking at their best.
John Stones had to deputise at right-back, and it was telling that a Cancelo-less backline conceded three goals at home.
Cancelo will return for the second leg against Real, and expect him to climb back up our ranking…unless City get torn apart again, of course!
The Scot delivered another magnificent display against Villarreal, working tirelessly down Liverpool’s left flank to deliver another outstanding performance.
The full-back built on his goalscoring display against Everton to help the Reds keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 triumph, and has replaced Cancelo as the outstanding wideman in the UCL so far this season.
Robertson’s interplay with Luis Diaz continues to grow with every game, while he was a regular threat for the Reds when they sought to take the game to the visitors.
He could have added Liverpool’s third towards the contest’s end, only for the effort to be deemed offside.
Salah continues to get back to his best, and maintained his recent fine form with an assist as Sadio Mane doubled the Reds’ lead soon before the hour mark.
This capped off three magical second-half minutes for the hosts as they firmly took control of the tie and left Villarreal with much to do in front of their own fans.
Salah, who was lively all evening, could have had another assist earlier on when Mane sent his fine pass wide, and the Egypt superstar looks set to have a massive role to play in the coming weeks as the Anfield giants look to maintain their quadruple push.
One of the most high-profile matches of his career, Vinicius passed yet another big test with flying colours, excelling on Real’s left flank alongside Karim Benzema.
Admittedly, he was helped by Cancelo’s absence, and gave Stones a tough time, but Vinicius deserves credit for looking so unfazed during such a mammoth fixture.
His goal—Real’s second—reduced City’s advantage, and gave Los Merengues genuine belief that they could salvage the tie.
Outstanding on City’s right flank against Real, Mahrez gave Ferland Mendy and David Alaba a lot to think about in the Blancos’ backline after being given a starting berth by Guardiola.
Mahrez set the tone for an outstanding City display—at least going forward—when he set up Kevin De Bruyne for the hosts’ opener, with Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva adding further goals.
He could have had a goal himself when he hit the woodwork, but can the Algeria superstar create some more magic in the return fixture?
Remains in top spot in our ranking after bagging a double away at Manchester City.
Real may have still fallen to a defeat, but Benzema’s pair of goals—including a penalty—keeps them firmly in the tie as they welcome City back to the Bernabeu this week.
The France superstar’s double takes him above Robert Lewandowski as the competition’s top scorer so far this season—on 14 goals—and only one behind the Poland striker overall, on 85 goals.
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