The Champions League returned this week with matchday six drama which played out across Europe this evening, as the knockout stage edges closer.

Here are five things we learned from tonight’s action on the continent.

Liverpool are tournament favorites

Questions regarding how Liverpool aimed to kick on in the wake of the Jürgen Klopp era have thus far been resoundingly answered under Arne Slot as the Reds sit atop the Champions League table while having yet to taste defeat.

Currently boasting a 6-0-0 record, while also leading the Premier League, on form, Liverpool are the best side in Europe. With that, comes expectations of a deep run on the continent.

After months of compiling evidence in the UCL across the 2024-25 season, there is no question that, at current, the Reds are tournament favorites.

With a red-hot Mohamed Salah showing no signs of slowing down amid contract discussions, and the return of Alisson in goal tonight on the back of a fantastic individual performance, both ends of Liverpool’s game look complete in a manner where it’s hard to see who can topple them over right now.

King Charles has returned

There was once a time when Belgian international star Charles De Ketelaere was heavily questioned and criticised while on the books at Milan.

After coming through the youth ranks at boyhood club Club Brugge and starring for his hometown side both on the domestic and European fronts, De Ketelaere’s arrival at Milan, though highly anticipated, hardly paid off.

But after coming under the guiding hand of Atalanta icon Gian Piero Gasperini, CDK has rediscovered his form in Lombardy, including a goal tonight against Real Madrid from the penalty spot.

After netting from 12 yards out, De Ketelaere is having a superb European campaign for La Dea, becoming the first-ever Atalanta player to register seven goal involvements in a single installment of the competition.

If history tells us anything, there’s more where it came from.

Real Madrid are still alive and kicking

Excuse the possible link to Nonpoint lyrics, but Spanish giants Real Madrid are very much alive in the Champions League after a valuable away win at neutral fan favorite Atalanta.

Despite concerns surrounding the fitness of star striker Kylian Mbappé after he was subbed off with an injury, Carlo Ancelotti’s men rallied after La Dea pulled level from the spot to come away with a crucial three points that temporarily has them remaining in the playoff places.

Though the 3-2 win, on the back of goals from the aforementioned Mbappé as well a Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior, still showed signs of overall team performance problems, that typical Real Madrid way of grinding out results under midweek lights, home or away, came to the surface just when it mattered most.

Brest continues unbelievable UCL run with win over PSV

A debut format for the Champions League this season was met with apprehension from most sections of football’s global fanbase, but for smaller clubs, it was always going to be a chance to make some waves on big nights on the continent.

Ligue 1 surprise package Brest have taken that to a whole new level this season after a polished 1-0 win over Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven thanks to a lone strike by Julien Le Cardinal despite being hit with injuries and suspensions in the run-up.

Many felt the Brittany-based outfit would be cannon fodder after performing well above expectations on the domestic front last term, but the club that hails from the famous port city continues to defy the odds, having also beaten Sparta Prague, RB Salzburg, and banking a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen.

An easier run of fixtures compared to others? Maybe so, but you can only play what is in front of you, and as things stand, Éric Roy’s Pirates could be celebrating their way into the knockout stages as they sit 5th in the table after tonight.

Alonso’s legacy grows as Leverkusen win; go second

Bayer Leverkusen were one of the biggest stories of the 2023-24 season across the domestic and European landscape after Die Werkself went invincible to win their first-ever Bundesliga title.

While also banking just their second DFB-Pokal trophy, young head coach and former Spanish star Xabi Alonso instantly became one of the most coveted managers in football.

Though he was ousted in his attempts to complete a treble when Leverkusen were soundly beaten by Atalanta in the final of the Europa League, the club are back at it again this season.

Alonso now has them sitting second in the Champions League thanks to a late, late 1-0 home win over vaunted Serie A giants Inter, which saw them become the first club to score against the Italians in the competition this season.

Having already dispatched Bayern Munich in the Pokal, Alonso’s steady hand has guided the club to a lofty perch in Europe, proving that he has the chops to cut it at the highest level.

📸 JOSEP LAGO – AFP or licensors