The UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, setting up for an equally entertaining knockout stage that begins in two weeks' time. The introduction of the new format means the Champions League will introduce a new phase of competition in February when 16 teams will take part in the knockout round playoffs.

Manchester City nearly crashed out, but came from behind in the second half, and in the end, all European giants reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Matchday 8 of the revamped UEFA Champions League group stage lived up to the hype. With 36 different teams playing simultaneously in 18 different games on Wednesday, there was drama galore, headlined by Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain avoiding a humiliating early exit and Liverpool holding onto the spot in the standings despite a loss to PSV.