Harry Diamond
The latest round of Champions League fixtures proved to be a success for English football’s quartet, with each of the four Premier League representatives registering important wins as the group stage begins to heat up.
Elsewhere there were impressive victories for the likes of Inter Milan and Napoli, whilst a competitive looking Group G was turned on its head following wins for Red Bull Leipzig and previously winless Benfica.
Following the midweek action, here are five players who smashed it in Champions League matchday 3:
Kylian Mbappe – Paris Saint-Germain
The French forward was left out of PSG’s starting lineup by Thomas Tuchel, but was introduced early into the second half with his side edging the contest against Club Brugge courtesy of Mauro Icardi’s opener.
The 20-year-old would not take long to deliver a reminder of why he is widely regarded as the world’s best young talent, heading past former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet just nine minutes after coming on.
He would turn provider for Icardi’s second, before netting twice late on to secure a second half hat-trick and become the youngest player ever to reach 15 Champions League goals.
Victory moved PSG five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of Group A, and the Ligue 1 champions need just one more point to secure their passage to the knock-out stages.
Raheem Sterling – Manchester City
Is there a more in-form player in world football than Raheem Sterling?
The 24-year-old produced another scintillating display of his attacking talent at the Etihad on Tuesday night, helping himself to a hat-trick and an assist in Manchester City‘s 5-1 destruction of Atalanta.
The England international was at his flowing best in a superb individual display, netting his fourth hat-trick for club and country since March and making it 24 goal involvements in just 17 appearances so far this season.
Victory continued City’s perfect start to this season’s group stage, as they look to deliver a maiden Champions League title this season.
"He's in the top five players in the world now. Definitely! I don't care who you mention!!"
Consistent ?
Goals and assists ⚽️
Always learning ?
Still only 24 years old ?Raheem Sterling is among the world's best according to @rioferdy5… pic.twitter.com/jSlUo5nGKi
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2019
Paulo Dybala – Juventus
Having spent much of the summer being linked with a switch to the Premier League, the Argentine forward has worked his way back into Juventus’ plans for the season and starred for the Italian champions in midweek.
Trailing to Aleksey Miranchuk’s first half goal for Lokomotiv Moscow, Juventus needed their big names to deliver to avoid a shock home defeat and Dybala duly delivered.
The 25-year-old scored twice in two minutes to turn the contest on its head, the first a stunning effort from distance, securing Maurizio Sarri’s side a precious victory which keeps them level at the top with Group D rivals Atletico Madrid.
Deemed surplus to requirements over the summer, La Joya could prove crucial to his side’s hopes yet.
Five youngest goal scorers in Champions League history
Dries Mertens – Napoli
The Belgian international overtook Diego Maradona as Napoli’s second all-time highest goalscorer on Wednesday night, with the 32-year-old’s double helping the Italian side to a 3-2 win at Red Bull Salzburg.
The Austrian outfit had given holders Liverpool a scare during their recent trip to Anfield, so victory for Napoli at the Red Bull Arena was a huge step towards qualification having suffered a group stage exit last season.
Dries Mertens surpasses Diego Maradona’s record of 115 goals for Napoli ? pic.twitter.com/WMNocQQjeN
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 23, 2019
Mertens’ double means he is now just five goals behind Marek Hamsik in the club’s scoring charts, whilst also keeping Napoli a point clear of Liverpool in the race to finish top of Group E.
A mention must go to Salzburg’s teenage goal machine Erling Braut Haaland, however, as the 19-year-old is now the top scorer in the competition following an entertaining clash and the first player in history to score six goals in their first three Champions League appearances.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Liverpool
Having played a key role in Liverpool‘s run to the 2018 Champions League final before suffering a serious knee injury in the semi-final victory over Roma, Oxlade-Chamberlain would miss the club’s final defeat to Real Madrid and almost the entirety of last season as the club went one better with Champions League success in June.
His spell on the sidelines has been a difficult time for the England midfielder, so it was the feel good story of the midweek action to see him return to Europe’s biggest stage in style.
"He offers something totally different."
On a night the Ox shone, @rioferdy5 breaks down the extra dimension he brings to the Liverpool midfield. pic.twitter.com/F3I4fhIAry
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 23, 2019
Handed an opportunity as Jurgen Klopp refreshed his midfield for the trip to Genk, Oxlade-Chamberlain was the star in Belgium, scoring twice including arguably the goal of gameweek 3.
BT Sport pundit and former Arsenal teammate Robin van Persie was in awe of the 26-year-old’s second of the evening, an audacious outside of the foot chip which clipped the crossbar on its way in.
It was a timely reminder of the midfielder’s qualities, as he looks to re-establish himself as a key figure for the holders.
Read: Ox’s brilliant brace sets Liverpool on their way in Genk rout
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