Goalkeeper: Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund)



Made a number of outstanding saves to keep Liverpool in the tie, most notably in the second half from Philippe Coutinho and Nathaniel Clyne.

Defender: Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk)



Though alert and committed at the back, Rakitskiy's goals are collectors' items (this was his third in 61 European club matches) and he took this one with aplomb. A yellow card rules him out of the second leg; he will be missed.

Defender: Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)



Commanding throughout in Dortmund, Lovren epitomised Liverpool's rugged defensive display, not affording Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Marco Reus the time and space they craved.

Defender: Timothée Kolodziejczak (Sevilla)



Thrust from central defence to left-back by an early injury to Benoît Trémoulinas, 'Kolo' even popped up with his side's leveller at Liga rivals Athletic.

Midfielder: Denis Suárez (Villarreal)



A menace all first half as Villarreal overwhelmed Sparta, Suárez's tidy touch then laid on the second of the night for Cédric Bakambu – and he had a decent effort saved soon after.

Midfielder: Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)

Another impressive outing from the youngster, who hassled and hurried his Liverpool counterparts tirelessly as he rose to the occasion with maturity and composure in equal measure.

Midfielder: Éver Banega (Sevilla)



The man who pulls the Sevilla strings, schemer Banega turned the match in Bilbao with his clever interception which created the second-half equaliser.

Midfielder: Rafa Silva (Braga)



With four assists already this term, Rafa was once again Braga's principal threat and he provided inspiration down the flanks against Shakhtar.

Forward: Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla)



Gameiro's persistence and movement gave Sevilla a vital outlet – his hard work culminating in a clever assist for Vicente Iborra's late clincher.

Forward: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Club)

A danger in the air once again, the competition's top scorer added his ninth goal of the campaign after meeting captain Iker Muniain's inviting centre.

Forward: Cédric Bakambu (Villarreal)



Having got lucky for Villarreal's first, the French-born striker showed true composure to make it 2-1 against Sparta. The 24-year-old missed a few chances too, yet was always in the right place.