The moral of this week's Champions League story is that confidence and form only take you so far - in the end, great teams find a way of winning when they need it the most, regardless of their opposition. Real Madrid remain a great team even if they have some weak links amongst their ranks and Tuesday night was proof of that.
Real's rivals Barcelona also secured a difficult 3-2 win in Dortmund on Wednesday evening and their city neighbours Atletico Madrid completed a perfect matchday for the Spanish clubs with a dominant 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava (who are now eliminated).
Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah scored his 50th Champions League goal as Liverpool beat Girona 1-0 to cement their place at the top of the league.
Want to know what else went down? Well, keep reading!
Star player - Bukayo Saka
After a difficult end to last season, Saka has come back with a vengeance this season and the Englishman was an ever-present threat on Wednesday night as Arsenal put Monaco to the sword. It was an important win for the Gunners after another setback in the Premier League last weekend in what has been an up-and-down season.
Saka can thank both Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz for setting him up for two simple finishes against Monaco but the tricky winger is making a habit out of being in the right place at the right time and that is no coincidence.
Arsenal added a late goal in the 87th minute and Saka was heavily involved once again. After finding space inside the box, he placed an effort on goal and Havertz's delicate touch took the ball past the helpless Radoslaw Majecki.
Saka has had better performances this season but when you are critical to each one of your side's goals in an impressive European win, you deserve your flowers. He is coming into the kind of form that has turned him into one of Europe's best wingers and Arsenal will rely on his world-class qualities in a busy festive run-in.
Surprise package - Real Madrid
I know what you are thinking but hear me out - Real Madrid have struggled so much in the Champions League whilst Atalanta have been one of the league's top sides.
In normal circumstances, nothing is surprising about Real Madrid beating Atalanta but these have not been normal times for Los Blancos. Therefore, stepping up in the manner they did on Tuesday night to produce a timely victory against one of Europe's most in form teams does come as a surprise.
But should we ever be surprised by this Real side? They have made a habit of winning when the pressure is on in this competition - nobody finds a way over the line better. And whilst their attacking stars have got them out of holes in the past, Real's new-look forward line have rarely clicked this season since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.
It was time for those Galacticos to step up against Atalanta and thankfully for Real fans, they did. Before being forced off injured after just 36 minutes, Mbappe looked electric and gave an insight into what the club could expect going forward. The Frenchman was a threat from minute one and took his goal brilliantly, creating space with a smart first touch before firing an effort past the keeper.
Vini Jr. was more fortuitous with his goal as the ball took a kind deflection into his path but he finished the chance off ruthlessly before setting up the returning-to-form Jude Bellingham for Real's third.
Carlo Ancelotti will still be concerned with the vulnerability of Real's defence as his side conceded two soft goals in the 3-2 win but it was a much-improved performance compared to most of Real's European displays this season.
As for Atalanta, they seemed to respect the holders too much instead of believing in their ability and confidence which has got them to the top of Serie A and in a strong position in this competition.
Team of the week - Bayer Leverkusen
The Bundesliga champions are enduring a mixed defence to their historic unbeaten title but they have stepped into gear in recent weeks and after an impressive 1-0 win against Inter on Tuesday night, are now on a six-game winning streak.
Their mixed domestic form has also rarely translated to the Champions League as they have shown what they are all about in Europe, evidenced by their fourth-placed position in the league table. This is also their second matchday in a row as the team of the week after their impressive 5-0 thrashing of Salzburg last time out.
It has been a strong response in Europe after a setback defeat against Liverpool in matchday four where they were outplayed and ultimately fell to a 4-0 defeat to Europe's hottest side.
And whilst against weaker opposition they are capable of scoring for fun, they have shown a different side in recent wins against strong teams. At the start of the month, Leverkusen knocked out title rivals Bayern Munich of the DFB Pokal with a hard-fought 1-0 win and they did the same against Inter on Tuesday.
Leverkusen were the more dangerous side throughout, boasting 67% possession and five shots on target to Inter's zero. By dominating the game and giving up few chances, the hosts were able to finally take a chance of their own as ping pong in the box fell the way of Nordi Mukiele to strike home a 90th-minute winning goal.
It was deserved on the night after a dominant display and it marked the first goal conceded by Inter in this season's Champions League. Leverkusen are showing improvement in defence from earlier in the season and remain a constant threat in attack, therefore I fully expect them to secure an automatic spot in the last 16. And from there, a deep run is far from beyond them.
Moment of the week - Super-sub Duran strikes again
Is there a better super-sub in Europe than Jhon Duran? I would wager not at the moment. Duran might still be behind the prolific Ollie Watkins for a starting place, but the Colombian striker is excelling in his role as the understudy.
It takes a unique kind of player to wait patiently from the bench before coming on and changing a game; Duran possesses that eagerness to make an impact as a substitute that managers appreciate.
He also loves an audacious goal in the Champions League. After Watkins was forced off injured in the 46th minute against Leipzig on Tuesday night, it took Duran just six minutes to fire Villa back in front.
He received the ball not far past the centre circle before driving at pace towards goal and unleashing a rocket from range which somehow found the roof of the net in spectacular fashion.
It was a moment of brilliance from someone so capable of the special that you almost come to expect it. Few strikers in world football hit the ball as cleanly as Villa's clinical Colombian.
Whether he dislodges Watkins in the starting 11 or not, Duran has a bright future in Europe and is far too good to play the role of super-sub forever.