Winners, losers from Wednesday’s Matchday 5 in Champions League

PSG's Neymar, left, celebrates with teammate Kylian Mbappe his side's second goal during the Champions League Group C second leg soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Liverpool at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Thibault Camus/AP)

Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League concluded on Wednesday with an action-packed day of matches.

From Liverpool’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, to Tottenham and Barcelona’s late heroics, there was no shortage of drama or entertainment. Now a couple of clubs, once thought to be favourites to win the Champions League, are on the brink of a group-stage exit.

Here are four winners and four losers from Wednesday’s round of games.

WINNERS

The Mbappe-Neymar connection

Paris-Saint Germain is now in control of its destiny after defeating Liverpool 2-1. Now an away victory over Red Star Belgrade would secure a spot in the round of 16.

While manager Thomas Tuchel deserves credit for solidifying his preferred 3-4-3 system and establishing a cohesive side, the duo of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe continues to tear apart the opposition.

Mbappe and Neymar completely dominated Liverpool’s right flank (more on that later) and helped set up both goals. The Brazilian played the role of provider as Mbappe utilized his rapid pace and brilliant vision to sprint behind the Reds’ defence on several occasions.

The PSG forwards have been involved in 38 goals for the club this season, and thanks to Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system, they have even more freedom in the attacking third.

Moussa Sissoko

Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Inter featured an enticing back-and-forth.

Spurs’ midfield duo of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko was on one side while Inter’s centre-backs, Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij, were on the other. In the end, the midfielders edged the battle because of Sissoko’s involvement in the winning goal.

Sissoko, normally the whipping boy for Spurs whenever he plays, executed a fantastic run towards the box before sliding a beautiful pass across to Dele Alli. The ball eventually landed on Christian Eriksen’s foot.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has tweaked Sissoko’s game in recent weeks. Now the Frenchman is more of a ball-winning midfielder who is given freedom to dribble forward. Winks was especially helpful on Wednesday as he operated as the deep-lying playmaker, thus relieving his teammate of those duties.

Sissoko also added six ball recoveries, two interceptions and two tackles, which made it tough for Inter’s midfield to break past the 30-year-old.

The significant increase in minutes has clearly helped Sissoko as well. Now Pochettino’s faith is being rewarded.

Dries Mertens

Lost in Lorenzo Insigne’s sensational season is Dries Mertens. He’s facing competition from Arkadiusz Milik, yet he continues to score consistently, be it off the bench or as a starter.

Mertens added another two goals, bringing his season tally up to 10 in all competitions and set a unique record in the process.

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