Player Ratings: Barcelona 3-1 Villarreal

Could not do anything to prevent Nilmar's strike. Pulled off some great saves and generally did well.

Caught out of position quite a few times and did not look composed in defence tonight. Conceded some needless fouls and did not offer much in attack.

A typical Alves display - shaky defensively and unstoppable in attack. Seems to have improved his crossing with his beauty for Messi in the 14th minute being a highlight. Caught out of position a couple of times.

The veteran was always going to have problems with the lightning-fast Rossi and Nilmar. Made just one mistake and paid for it.

Looked somewhat clumsy in central defence and conceded some nasty fouls. Kept Nilmar on a tight leash, however, as he did his best to keep Villarreal's attack at bay.

Has been very consistent recently and did not disappoint tonight. Wandered the midfield and put in great effort. All in all, a good game by Busquets.

His brilliant self tonight. Great pass for Villa's opener and caused much trouble for Villareal with his quicksilver feet.

Certainly an improvement over his showing against Getafe last week. Still he seems to be short of his best physical condition and it showed tonight. The great vision and passes were still there, though.

Showed great understanding with Messi as the duo created the two goals for Barcelona in the second half. Has been much more co-operative in recent games and showed some great off-the-ball play.

Showed the kind of clinical finishing he used to provide for Valencia last season. Aside from his wonderful goal he looked very active and showed some great touches.

Could not do anything for all three goals. Pulled off some good saves, but nothing spectacular.

Had his fair share of troubles with Villa in the first half, and should take some blame for the opener. Offered fairly little in attack.

Both of Messi's goals came from his zone and could have done better to prevent them. Admittedly, he did not receive much support by Capdevila and had to do it all by himself at times.

The better of the two centre-halves, but caught out of position in the build-up to Villa's opener and could have done better to prevent this strike. Improved after the break and generally played well in defence.

The defender is known for his ability to find some great balance between attack and defence, but utterly failed to do so tonight. His nerves got the better of him and as a result left much space for Pedro and Messi to exploit, and they did. Still, he provided the assist for Nilmar's goal.

Pretty much anonymous tonight. One could hardly tell if he was on the pitch or not.

Showed some great touches and passes, but struggled with his final ball at times. Looked confident in possession.

Overrun in midfield as he did not even put up a fight against Busquets. Completely surrendered when Keita entered the pitch.

Inconsistency has always been a main issue for the midfielder and he had an off game tonight. Saw very little of the ball and did not look too enthusiastic to make anything work.

The Italy international showed quick feet and good positioning tonight and was looking to pounce on every opportunity to score. Admittedly, he was deprived of service and ultimately did not get a goal, but still had a good game.