Arsenal were the big winners in the first legs of the last-16 Champions League contests, with the Gunners recording a stunning 7-1 success over PSV Eindhoven in their fixture in the Netherlands on Tuesday night.
Fellow Premier League representatives Aston Villa and Liverpool were also victorious, with the former beating Club Brugge 3-1 in Belgium, while the latter recorded a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, with Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker putting in a stunning performance.
Real Madrid overcame Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Madrid derby to secure an advantage in the tie, while Barcelona beat Benfica 1-0 in Portugal to also put themselves in an excellent position to reach the quarter-finals.
Bayern Munich were 3-0 winners over Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen, while Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 2-0 in the Netherlands, with the Italian giants also in a commanding position ahead of the return match at San Siro.
There was only one draw in the last gameweek, with that stalemate coming in Germany, as Borussia Dortmund and Lille played out a 1-1 on Tuesday night.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the first legs of the last-16 ties in the competition, and there were a number of outstanding performers.
DEFENCE
Barcelona's Wojciech Szczesny is incredibly unfortunate to miss out on the spot between the sticks considering the level of his performance against Benfica, but the goalkeeping position simply had to be given to Alisson Becker, with the Brazilian putting in one of the all-time great performances in the competition against PSG, making nine saves to help Liverpool claim a 1-0 victory over PSG.
Two Inter players also make the XI, with Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi both outstanding against Feyenoord in the Netherlands; the former won two aerial duels and boasted a pass success rate of 91%, while the latter put in a passing masterclass from a defensive area, completing 65 of his 67 passes, with the 37-year-old controlling the game from the back.
Barcelona's Jules Kounde is also included due to his contribution against Benfica, with the Catalan giants needing to be resolute after losing Pau Cubarsi to a red card in just the 22nd minute; the Frenchman stood up to be counted, winning three aerial duels, while he was also calm and composed in possession, boasting a pass success rate of 86%.
The final spot at the back is awarded to Arsenal's Jurrien Timber; the 23-year-old opened the scoring against PSV on Tuesday night, but he was also excellent defensively, with the Dutch outfit's attackers struggling to get the better of the full-back.
MIDFIELD
There are two further Arsenal players in midfield, as it was impossible to leave either Martin Odegaard or Mikel Merino out of the team.
Odegaard was the star of the show against PSV, scoring twice and providing one assist, with the 26-year-old putting in arguably his best performance of the campaign for the Gunners.
Merino actually operated through the middle on Tuesday night, coming up with a goal and an assist, while he also dropped in to help out his team defensively, with the recent arrival proving to be a vital part of Arsenal's standout Champions League win.
The final spot in midfield is awarded to Joshua Kimmich, as the German demonstrated that he remains one of the best midfielders in European football, winning four aerial duels and finishing with a pass success rate of 91%, as he controlled Bayern's game against Leverkusen from a deeper area.
ATTACK
The centre-forward's spot simply had to be awarded to Harry Kane, with the England captain in excellent form for Bayern against Leverkusen - the striker scored twice in his side's three-goal success, with Xabi Alonso's side simply unable to deal with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward.
Kane is joined in the attack by his Bayern teammate Jamal Musiala, with the Germany international also on the scoresheet against Leverkusen; Musiala made three tackles, completed three dribbles and hit the woodwork during an all-action performance at Allianz Arena.
The final spot in the XI goes to Brahim Diaz for his contribution to Real Madrid's success over Atletico; the Morocco international scored his side's second of the match at Bernabeu, and he was a constant threat to Atletico with his movement and quality on the ball, completing 50 of his 53 passes, while he made three tackles, proving to also be vital from a defensive point of view.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Alisson (Liverpool); Kounde (Barcelona), Pavard (Inter), Acerbi (Inter), Timber (Arsenal); Kimmich (Bayern), Merino (Arsenal), Odegaard (Arsenal); Diaz (Real Madrid), Kane (Bayern), Musiala (Bayern)
body check tags ::
