The Champions League never fails to deliver.

Defending champions Manchester City are gone after a penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid. Arsenal are out after coming up short against Bayern Munich. On the other side of the draw, Paris Saint-Germain stunned Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund battled beyond Atletico Madrid.

It was arguably the best set of quarter-finals we've ever seen in the competition. It also threw up plenty of winners and losers...

Winner: Kylian Mbappé

He just had to, didn't he?

In an alternate world, Ronald Araújo wouldn't have gotten himself sent off and PSG would have slipped to another disappointing Champions League exit. Kylian Mbappé would have had little chance to impact a game Barca controlled before the dismissal. But this is no alternate world.

Mbappé did very little across the two legs before he stepped up to take PSG's crucial penalty with half an hour left. The Frenchman's cool finish sparked him into life, so it was no surprise to see him finish the Blaugrana with another goal in the closing minutes.

Celebrations were wild, indicating there's still a player who cares here, even if he's destined to join Madrid in a few months.

PSG has a winnable tie against Dortmund in the semis. Is Mbappé going to get one more chance to achieve the club's inaugural Champions League success? He just might, and it could be against his next employers.

Loser: Ronald Araújo

Split-second decisions make all the difference. Araújo's choice to bring Bradley Barcola in a last-man situation completely changed the course of this tie. Barca had won the first leg and were 1-0 up in the second.

They were playing sharp football and looked dangerous every time they got down the wings. Araújo's foul not only flipped momentum, but it also forced Xavi into sacrificing brilliant 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who was terrorizing the PSG defense and had an assist to his name.

It always surprises me how often players choose to take a potential red card over a potential goal. Granted, it's difficult to think clearly in the heat of the moment. Had PSG scored on the break and Araújo stayed on the pitch you'd still have fancied Barca to go through. Their odds certainly would have been better than playing so long with 10 men.

When the dust settles, Araújo will know his poor judgement led Barcelona to elimination.

Winner: Marcel Sabitzer

The uptick in Marcel Sabitzer's attacking output over the last two games has been sensational.

He's such a quality midfielder, someone who can offer a little bit of everything, but it's fair to say he's capable of adding more goal contributions than he has in recent times. He showed up in a big way during Tuesday's game against Atletico.

The Austrian had zero goals and one assist in his last 11 before the weekend win over Borussia Monchengladbach. He now has three goals and two assists in his last two.

His brilliant double slayed an Atletico side that had been sent out with greater attacking potency than we're used to in this competition. It came back to haunt Diego Simeone.

Sabitzer was confident on the ball, spraying passes, attempting shots and constantly pushing to make sure Dortmund kept the tempo high. It was an excellent team performance, but his industry and craft deserve a special mention.

Losers: Toothless Arsenal

A familiar pattern is setting in for Arsenal.

We're getting closer to a second season of mostly excellent performances that yield zero trophies. Mikel Arteta and his side didn't go for it in the second leg against Bayern Munich after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. They paid the price.

Joshua Kimmich's excellent header should have been the trigger for Arsenal to explode. Instead it was constant flitting and the age-old need to score the perfect goal creeping in.

Bukayo Saka's last-second decision to take a quick free kick to nobody, when he had an excellent shooting opportunity, was only made more frustrating by the awful corner he put in as the final whistle sounded.

It's these moments, the pressure moments, that define a team.

Arteta's side sweeps their opponents aside most weeks, but when it matters, we're seeing a gutlessness. Fans' worry over not having a natural striker also came back to roost, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli joining Saka in looking lost. It has to change if this squad is going to reach its potential.

Winners: Madrid Magic

Real Madrid just find a way.

They were hounded by Manchester City, and despite scoring early, looked like they would fall when Kevin De Bruyne equalized in the second half. They held on through extra time and then missed a huge chance through Antonio Rudiger. They even missed the first penalty in the shootout.

But Bernardo Silva's awful spot-kick completely sucked the air out of the Etihad Stadium. Madrid stepped forward with authority. That man who spooned his earlier chance, a heroic Rudiger, then stepped forwards to win it with a calm finish beyond Ederson.

The holders are out, but the competition's kings remain.

Losers: The Double Treble Dream

Man City's defeat will feel like a historic opportunity missed for Pep Guardiola.

They'd have fancied taking out Bayern in the semis and either PSG or Dortmund in the final. At the domestic level, they only have to overcome Chelsea and one of Manchester United or Coventry to grab the FA Cup. They lead the Premier League title race and look likely to sit atop the tree again when it finishes.

A second successive treble was legitimately on. It's wild that City have such expectations and can feel disappointed by 'only' being in the running for two trophies now. But that's the reality of this squad that often looks like they'll get through trouble. Pep may rue taking De Bruyne off, and will certainly have words with Bernardo for his awful penalty, but they couldn't have done much more.

Imagine being labeled 'losers' for not winning a second treble. Outrageous!