TheCable

Liverpool were impressive as they won 2-0 at RB Leipzig despite their defensive worries while PSG defied odds to thrash Barcelona 4-1 at the dreaded Camp Nou.

TheCable examines five things we learned from the round of 16 first leg matches of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on Tuesday night:

French speedster destroyed Barcelona

Speedy forward Kylian Mbappe was Barcelona’s nemesis. He was a complete nuisance upfront and caused the Catalan side all sorts of problems. He was rewarded with a hat trick.

Liverpool’s ‘fantastic duo’ made things happen

They are players for the big occasion and the duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah proved it as the Reds humbled Leipzig 2-0 at Puskas Arena.

Talented Leipzig disappoint

The German Bundesliga high-flyers were expected to punish an off-form Liverpool team, but the quartet of Marcel Sabitze, Angelin, Daniel Olmo and Christopher Nkunku failed to turn up to the party.

Liverpool and PSG can start dreaming of next round

The English and French giants have healthy first leg results of 2-0 and 4-1 respectively. They should start planning ahead of the next round.

Poch magic

Argentine tactician Mauricio Pochettino set up the PSG team in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It worked to full effect against an off-colour Barcelona side.