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Havertz recalls sense for the big occasion
Kai Havertz's winning goals for Chelsea in the Champions League final in May 2021 and Club World Cup final earlier this year ensured he will always hold a place in the hearts of the club's fans, but even diehard Blues supporters must admit the German has failed to show his best form under either Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter this season.
Havertz's questionable form came to a head this month, when he was replaced at half-time during Chelsea's 2-0 win at Aston Villa - when they were lucky to go into the break without conceding - and was anonymous in the draw at Brentford a few days later.
The 23-year-old found himself left on the bench for the duration of last weekend's tie with Manchester United and could have had no complaints with Potter's decision after registering just two goals and no assists in 14 games.
Havertz was recalled for the trip to Red Bull Salzburg and, while he was more involved than on his previous outings, he continued to frustrate and passed up a glorious scoring opportunity when he aimed a weak header straight at the goalkeeper in the first half.
The forward's performance in Austria was hardly vintage - he lost the ball more than any other Chelsea player - but his brilliant match-winning goal reminded everyone of his sense for the big occasion.
Havertz's second-half goal not only secured all three points for Chelsea but also guaranteed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. His previous two strikes this season - at home to West Ham and Wolves - were also match-winners.
What is more, Havertz's goal against Salzburg was only the second time he's scored away from Stamford Bridge in the Champions League. The only other occasion was in Porto, when Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 to lift the trophy for just the second time.
Havertz must shake his habit of drifting out of matches to truly be considered world class, but there's no denying his uncanny knack of reappearing just when his side needs him.
Joe Shread
Hummels gives Haaland masterclass
Much of the pre-match focus was on Erling Haaland's return to his former club, Borussia Dortmund. For a player than has scored 22 goals in 16 games in all competitions this season - including one against the German side in the reverse fixture - he is constant source of fascination.
But it was a rare sight this season to see Haaland kept completely quiet by his former team-mate Mats Hummels. It's a testament to his form that it was so noticeable - the only other team to have kept him at arm's length this season is Liverpool.
But the credit must go to the 33-year-old defender. He gave a masterclass in how to not only defend one of the best strikers in the world - admittedly with a bit of insight already - but also how to defend in general.
In the first half in particularly, he was there to defend every cross and every set-piece, keeping Haaland in his back pocket the entire time. One particular moment that drew a roar of approval from the home crowd was a perfectly-timed tackle inside the box to stop a rare Haaland run. It was the blueprint for any young defender on how to defend in the most dangerous of spots.
He registered a match-high six interceptions, had the most touches in the Dortmund team (61), plus two interceptions and two tackles. In contrast, Haaland had just one shot - which was blocked by Hummels - and not touches in the opposition box.
The striker was taken off at half-time due to a lingering illness he had before the game and a possible foot injury, according to Pep Guardiola. However, being out-marked by Hummels would also not have gone down as one of his favourite halves of football.
But Haaland is unlikely to face similar situations on a regular basis. His talent remains otherworldly and other defenders will not have the same experience or confidence as Hummels does to deal with all the threats the Norway striker poses. On another night too, Haaland could easily have gotten the better of the centre-back.
However, Hummels deserves a lot of credit for keeping Europe's golden boy on the backburner, and offers a timely reminder of just how good of a player he is himself heading into a World Cup month.
Charlotte Marsh
Kovacic crucial for Chelsea
"I don't score many but this one was a nice one!" Mateo Kovacic's wide smile showed what his classy finish against Red Bull Salzburg meant to him. Back in Austria, the country of his birth, and with his parents and friends watching on, the Croatia international showed his quality with his wonderful, guided shot to open the scoring - and his all-round performance was a reminder of his importance to Chelsea.
It's no coincidence his injuries and illness between October and December last season coincided with Chelsea's wobble after an encouraging start in the Premier League. Nor that they suffered some frustrating results when he was out in April. A knee injury limited his involvement in the opening weeks of this campaign, as Chelsea struggled for form in the final weeks of Thomas Tuchel's reign.
Kovacic may not always hit the headlines - this was his first Champions League goal for 24 appearances - but his importance to Chelsea is plain to see. He runs that midfield and, just a few days after being sent on to regain control of that area of the pitch against Manchester United, he was pulling the strings in Salzburg, topping the stats for passes and entries into the final third.
He gets Chelsea moving and with him fit and in the side - and Graham Potter at the helm - they are certainly moving in the right direction now.
Kovacic's goal record in this competition - five - just edged ahead of his winners' medal haul of four on Tuesday. If he can stay fit and in form, Chelsea fans will be hopeful of him adding to both tallies this season.
Peter Smith
'Tired' City get the job done - but it won't get easier
Despite having a rare midweek off last week, Man City looked rather lacklustre against Borussia Dortmund - a fact Guardiola admitted himself.
"We played much better second half than in the first half… We suffered that our game on Saturday was so demanding, physicality and the trip and everything. We are a little tired," he told BT Sport.
"But we achieved what we wanted, top of the group again, so really good."
At the end of the day, topping the group was all that really mattered on their trip to Germany. It worked for Dortmund too, who qualified for the last 16 with a point, but they certainly tried to force the issue far more than Man City.
It's a curious notion too as Guardiola made six changes for the Champions League match - something he does regularly. That is not to say players cannot be tired if they were substitutes against Brighton, but you would hope they might have fresher legs.
But even against the Seagulls, Man City did not look at their best. They needed goals from two of their best players in Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne to secure the points. On Tuesday, Haaland was expertly marked by Mats Hummels - explored a bit more above - and carrying a touch of illness and injury, while De Bruyne was an unused substitute.
Their passing metrics offer an insight into how the game played out too. They made 903 passes against Dortmund - the most by a side in a Champions League match since the start of last season - but only had eight shots.
Knowing they were not at their best, Man City kept possession among themselves - often the name of the game under Guardiola - to limit Dortmund's counter-attacks, which they almost used to devastating effect in the first half.
Things were more assured for Man City after the break as Guardiola tweaked his team - Nathan Ake did well in marshalling the impressive Karim Adeyemi, who had got in behind Joao Cancelo one too many times. John Stones moved into a defensive midfield role and did well there too.
Guardiola will likely rotate once again for the lunchtime match against Leicester on Saturday, who are beginning to find a touch of form. It's another match that will require concentration and hopefully a step up in tempo from the last few days.
Tiredness may have affected them in Germany, but the fixture list will come at them thick and fast for the foreseeable future - plus a winter World Cup that will see a large number of Man City's players featuring in Qatar - as Guardiola's balancing act continues.
Charlotte Marsh
Celtic evolving team outclassed by Europe's elite
Ange Postecoglou wants to instil a brand of football that's unique, fast-paced and attacking.
It works well for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership but the Champions League was a step too far for his evolving team this season.
The manager has repeatedly spoken about testing his style at the highest level in order to improve and Celtic will need to do that if they return to the Champions League again next season.
The story of this campaign has been missed opportunities but Kyogo Furuhashi's miss was the only real chance they passed up against Shakhtar at Celtic Park.
Moves broke down at the final pass, partly due to their well-organised opponents.
Mykhailo Mudryk once again showed he is a real talent with his stunning equaliser, while Danylo Sikan will want to erase all memory of his horrendous miss as he looked certain to give the Ukrainians the lead.
Alison Conroy