The second half of January, all of February and March, Rafael Leao was in crisis - Milan lacked his sprints and goals, in that period the Italian champion had some desperate games and results, but April 2 is the day that probably changed the season for the Portuguese.
Leao reminded how powerful he is, he was a double scorer in a convincing victory over Napoli (4:0) which was played perfectly by the entire Milan team.
That's how the "Rossoneri" outclassed the new champion of Italy on his field and gave him a headache before the double-header in the quarter-finals of the Champions League...
Karim Benzema easily reached a hat-trick against Valladolid, Gabriel Jesus exploded in Arsenal's victory over Leeds, while Jack Grealish was one of the heroes of Manchester City's great triumph over Liverpool.
We present the players who marked the European football weekend:
THE GOALKEEPER
Lopes (Lyon) - it's not often that forwards like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe don't find the back of the net in Ligue 1. Lyon held on, eventually winning at Parc des Princes with a big assist from Lopes.
DEFENSE
Savic (Atletico Madrid) - another routine and convincing game by the Montenegrin ace. Betis almost didn't threaten at the "Wanda Metropolitano", so Jan Oblak had no problem saving the net.
Agerd (West Ham) - every point in this part of the season is very important for West Ham, because the relegation zone from the Premier League is not far away. The Hammers can breathe easier after the Moroccan scored for the triumph against Southampton.
Trippier (Newcastle) - he is Newcastle's assist king this season. He has a total of six in the championship, the last one he recorded in the victory over Manchester United when he connected Callum Wilson with a goal with a cross from a corner.
THE MIDDLE
Grealish (Manchester City) - has endured fierce criticism since he came from Aston Villa, now it's his turn to be praised. Grealish is probably the most consistent player in Pep Guardiola's team in recent months - he crowned his fantastic form with a goal against Liverpool in another phenomenal game.
Dias (Milan) - he did what he wanted with the ball at his feet against Napoli. He was the assistant for 1:0, then the scorer for 2:0 in the big edition of "Rossoneri" in the south of Italy.
Milinković Savić (Lazio) - in his style he scored from a free kick and signed another victory for Lazio, this time in Monza. With 65 goals, the Serbian representative is the best scorer among foreigners in the history of the Rome club.
ATTACK
Benzema (Real Madrid) - it only took him seven minutes to shake the Valladolid net three times. It was one of those days when the French can do just about anything. His hat-trick is the second fastest in Real Madrid history.
Leao (Milan) - what a way to get out of the crisis - Leao was a double scorer in Naples, Milan now trusts him again...
Jesus (Arsenal) - if the two goals to Leeds mean that the Brazilian has caught the rhythm after his injury, then the "gunners" are really on the right track to win the title.
Sane (Bayern) - participated in all four Bayern goals against Borussia in the "classic". It seems that he liked the Julian Nagelsmann - Thomas Tuchel cast the most.
Bonus video:
