The moral of this week's Champions League story is that reaching the top is one thing; staying there is the real challenge. In this game of constant change and evolution, keeping your place at the top is a secret only a few clubs in history have had the key to.
It was Bayern Munich who (temporarily at least) knocked holders PSG off their perch on Tuesday night with a devastating display in Paris. Whilst Liverpool put themselves back in the conversation for the 2025/26 crown with a dominant display against European royalty, Real Madrid.
They were the two standout games in a matchday that also saw Inter and Arsenal further establish themselves as teams to beat, whilst Manchester City outclassed Dortmund... again.
Star player: Phil Foden
Phil Foden is finally looking like Phil Foden again. The player who previously played key roles in helping Manchester City to glory domestically and in Europe oozed confidence and class on Wednesday.
At his best, Foden would regularly receive the ball in half spaces and glide past players before floating a ball for a striker to attack or pass into the goal with a perfectly weighted side-foot effort. He makes the game look so easy.
The Englishman has slowly started to get into that groove again this season, but on Wednesday night, he fully exploded back into life and reminded the world of football just what he is capable of.
There has been criticism of Manchester City's attacking players this season for relying on Erling Haaland to be their sole goal threat, but that was not the case at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Foden got the hosts on their way after receiving the ball on the half turn, shaping his body to shoot and then curling a strike into the bottom left-hand corner in trademark fashion.
Haaland would get his customary goal before the break, but Foden made sure he took the headlines by scoring his second of the night, and it was arguably even better than his first.
Foden was closer to the goal and had less space to work with, but that didn't deter him. His first touch was sublime and his second even better as he found the bottom left-hand corner to complete his brace.
When Foden is in that kind of form, he is a joy to watch and almost impossible to defend against. If that proves to be the game that kickstarts a purple patch, then the Englishman might well force his way into Thomas Tuchel's plans ahead of a World Cup slowly closing in.
Whatever happens with England, City fans will just be glad to see Foden playing with confidence again.
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Team of the week: Bayern Munich
Liverpool's electric performance at Anfield, as they outfought Real Madrid, deserves a special mention. However, the way Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich outclassed PSG in Paris on Tuesday was not only immensely impressive, but it felt like a statement win from a side quickly becoming the team to beat in Europe.
It might have been costly defensive errors from PSG that created both of Luis Diaz's goals as Bayern took a shock 2-0 lead into the break. However, Bayern created chance after chance and could have been five or six up at half-time. The intensity with which they pressed and then flooded players forward on the attack was incredible.
They created overloads by playing slick one-touch football, with a fluid front four that rotated constantly and caused the PSG defence so many problems. It was one of the most dominant halves of football between two elite sides in a while. Since PSG did the same thing to Inter in the Champions League final in June, perhaps?
And that's not to mention that Bayern hung on to win, playing with 10 men for the entire second half.
When they are back to full strength, PSG will be a force again, but Kompany's Bayern will almost certainly be in their way when it comes to the business end of the competition and don't expect them to roll over like Inter did last season. This is a serious side who have serious ambitions of glory.
It is hard to know when Bayern's historic winning run will end, but it doesn't feel like it will be anytime soon...
Surprise package: Club Brugge
Even with Barcelona's fragilities of late, they went to Brugge on Wednesday night as heavy favourites - the expectation was to get their campaign back on track with a routine win. What actually transpired was anything but routine for the Catalan giants.
Now, it has to be said, this Barcelona side are incredibly vulnerable right now as Hansi Flick refuses to change how he sets his team up despite having a depleted squad. He simply doesn't have the players available to make his high line work, and it is getting exploited over and over again.
However, kudos to Club Brugge for playing on the front foot and not letting the superior attacking side dominate the game. The Belgian side smelt blood and went for the kill, and it almost resulted in a famous victory. On three different occasions, Brugge found themselves ahead and in dreamland. Three times, they exposed Barcelona's high line and punished it brilliantly.
At the heart of everything good was the exciting young winger Carlos Forbs. The Portuguese forward showcased what he is all about with two world-class finishes and an assist to end the match with an 8.6 Flashscore rating. Forbs was a menace throughout, utilising his pace and explosiveness to cause Barca's defence all kinds of trouble.
If it wasn't for some Lamine Yamal magic in the second half, Forbs' brilliance would have inspired Brugge to victory, and nobody could have said it wouldn't have been deserved.
Moment of the week: Burn's freakish header
Newcastle United required a win in Europe after another setback in the Premier League last weekend, and thanks to Dan Burn's freakish header, that is exactly what they got.
The Geordie giant is often a threat from set pieces, with his height and ability to generate incredible power being a killer combination. However, his goal on Wednesday night against Athletic Club was not your typical Burn header; in fact, it is hard to think of a headed goal quite like it.
Kieran Trippier's free-kick was fired in with some pace. It found Burn in acres of space at the back post, but the centre-half was only just inside the box when he met it, and it looked an unlikely position to score from.
Somehow, though, Burn managed to direct his header with such power and bend that it flew into the top right-hand corner - taking everyone by surprise. It was a David Beckham-level of bend, and to do that with your head is a skill few can master.
Burn might just have unlocked a new type of goal! Although the thing is, it is hard to imagine it ever being repeated, such was the freakish nature of the finish.