Barcelona

3.14

• 
  40

  10

  3.50

  Víctor Valdés

  Saved his side twice when they were breached on the counter as he thwarted two Celta attackers who were one-on-one with him. Unfortunate for the goal, as another fantastic save from him was not cleared by his defence.

• 
  48

  8

  4.00

  Jordi Alba

  Much like Adriano and then Dani Alves on the opposite flank, Alba showed no hesitation at all to bomb forward to support the attack. His off the ball movement and darts into the area caused Celta no end of trouble. Put in some excellent work in defence as well, but scored Barcelona's third from a clearly offside position.

• 
  33

  7

  3.50

  Adriano

  Rampaged down the flanks to great effect in the first-half and opened the scoring with a simple tap in from a move that he initiated. His joy was cut short with an injury in the 38th minute, which brought a premature end to his evening.

• 
  35

  5

  3.00

  Xavi

  Was not always the most noticeable figure in attack, but retained possession well, distributed effectively.

• 
  43

  4

  4.00

  Andrés Iniesta Luján

  A thorn in Celta’s side, as he drifted between the midfield and defensive lines so effectively. Timed one run perfectly and kept his head well to drill a ball in from the byeline that set up Villa for Barca’s second goal.

• 
  24

  26

  2.00

  Javier Mascherano Flop of the Match

  On a few occasions, Celta came close to catching him out as he was pushed too far up the field, leaving large gaps in behind. Not the most convincing performance from him as he was playing catch up far too often.

• 
  26

  12

  3.00

  Busquets

  Busquets started the match as a midfielder, but dropped into defence so often that it was difficult to pinpoint his position. However, he was shown up for Celta’s first goal, as he was too slow to react to a rebound, allowing Bermejo to poke home. Other than that one blip, he was generally solid.

• 
  32

  14

  2.50

  Cesc Fàbregas

  Was the man in form coming into the match, but looked strangely out of touch with proceedings despite his side’s positivity in attack. Was the one sacrificed for Bartra at half-time as Villanova looked to shore things up at the back.

• 
  81

  6

  4.00

  David Villa Top of the Match

  Was heavily involved in the attacking play during the first-half, as he combined beautifully with his team-mates on a number of occasions. The highlight of his display came in the 26th minute, as a backheel to Iniesta was returned for him to tap in the second goal. Another heel flick set up Alba for the third, despite the Barca full-back being a yard offside.

• 
  74

  26

  3.00

  Lionel Messi

  The Argentine had a number of chances to score in the first-half, but good goalkeeping and his own indecisiveness cost him a goal. He remained involved in the attack during the second-half, but found it harder to get a sight on goal.

• 
  30

  16

  2.50

  Pedro

  Worked hard in attack and set up the first goal for Adriano, but as the game wore on he drifted to the periphery of proceedings.

Substitutions

• 
  25

  12

  3.00

  Daniel Alves

  Did not quite match the enterprise of Adriano in the first-half, or the play of Alba on the opposite flank.

• 
  32

  8

  3.00

  Bartra

  Came on at half-time to replace Fabregas, but was not given much to think about by Celta, and fared comfortably.

• 
  26

  11

  3.00

  Alexis Sánchez

  Gave the Celta backline a scare with a few runs into space.

Celta

3.04

• 
  6

  2

  3.50

  Javi Varas

  Denied Massi on multiple occasions with his excellent positioning and quickness off his line. Could do nothing about any of the goals.

• 
  0

  4

  2.50

  Hugo Mallo

  Suspect at the back far too often. The likes of Pedro and Messi were able to get the better of him when they squared up to each other. His team-mates had to come to his rescue on more than one occasion.

• 
  2

  2

  3.00

  Roberto Lago

  Made a few vital interceptions when coming in from the flanks, and tried hard at the back, but Barca were still able to find a way through down his side.

• 
  2

  2

  3.00

  Andres Tuñez Arceo

  Very strong in the air whenever Barca took that unconventional route, and generally performed solidly at the back, especially in the second-half.

• 
  1

  3

  3.00

  Oubiña

  As the main defensive midfielder, his task was always going to be a difficult one, but he acquitted himself well in the middle of the park. Worked hard at closing down the space, and he managed to win the ball in a few dangerous areas for his side.

• 
  2

  2

  3.00

  Jonathan Vila

  As Barca sent more and more players forward, he was faced with an increasingly desperate task to repel them, but did not waver, and snuffed out a few dangerous situations.

• 
  2

  2

  3.00

  Alex López

  Played a crucial role in Celta’s first-half goal as he gleefully took advantage of the space behind the Barca backline to force a save out of Valdes, from which Bermejo tapped home the rebound.

• 
  0

  4

  2.50

  Augusto Fernández

  Did not get much change out of Barcelona's flank, and in fact, was made to spend most of his time providing cover in his own half to counter the dual threat of Alba and Villa.

• 
  2

  2

  3.50

  Iago Aspas

  A real bright spark with his direct style troubling the home side on the break. Often aimed to exploit the gaps behind the home side’s defence, particularly shown when he broke for a one-on-one that was well saved by Valdes. Had his chances in the second-half as well, as he flashed wide from an angle.

• 
  6

  3

  3.00

  Michael Krohn-Dehli

  Often found himself isolated on the wings, as the sheer persistence of Barca in attack meant that his team were not often in a position to provide him with the ball. On the few occasions Celta looked to counter he was heavily involved, and a danger out wide.

• 
  4

  2

  3.00

  Bermejo

  Was quickest to react to a rebound from Valdes' save, and poked home Celta's goal in the first-half. His task was rather thankless otherwise, with service becoming increasingly sparse.

Substitutions

• 
  4

  2

  3.50

  De Lucas

  Provided some real quality in attack in his short spell on the pitch, and forced the very best defensive work out of Alba on more than one occasion.