FC Barcelona

3.14

• 
  108

  44

  3.00

  Víctor Valdés

  Conceded two in his last Barcelona game, but had nothing to do in this match. Watched one Lafita effort sail just wide, but was otherwise a spectator.

• 
  90

  67

  2.50

  Maxwell

  Turned once by Lafita in Zaragoza's best chance of the evening. Also wasted a flowing team move with a poor finish midway through the first half, but linked up well with Messi on occasions and was comfortable at the back.

• 
  177

  39

  3.50

  Piqué

  Gave Barca the lead as he headed home unmarked, made one timely tackle later on and brought the ball out of defence with a fine run before the break. Was booked for handball and lost sight of Lafita once, but a classy performance overall.

• 
  183

  38

  3.50

  Carles Puyol

  Barca fans will be happy to see their skipper back in the side and he is looking ever more comfortable, too. Scored his team's third goal, looked solid and made one typically-brave clearance with Micael waiting to pounce in the second half.

• 
  96

  72

  2.50

  Daniel Alves

  Not quite at his brilliant best this season and wasn't involved nearly as much as he would have liked, but remains an important outlet down the right and was full of running.

• 
  113

  43

  3.00

  Seydou Keita

  Got in some good positions and the ball almost fell for him in the area early on. Hard-working as a defensive midfielder in the absence of Busquets and Mascherano, and his passing was neat and tidy, too.

• 
  176

  33

  3.50

  Xavi

  His excellent free-kick gave Pique the easiest of finishes to put Barca ahead. Shot wide with a direct effort later in the first half and, as usual, was at the heart of much of his side's best play before he was replaced shortly after the break, with the midweek game at AC Milan in mind.

• 
  386

  70

  3.50

  Cesc Fàbregas Top of the Match

  The former Arsenal captain took up some great positions, was unlucky not to score as he went close on a number of occasions and set up Messi's goal as well. Replaced by Villa after 67 minutes. Very impressive from the 24-year-old.

• 
  340

  107

  3.50

  Lionel Messi

  As expected, Messi wanted to play and as expected, he did. And he showed no signs of fatigue from the international break as he caused havoc early on. Came close with one brilliant individual effort and was also denied by Roberto early on, but eventually got his goal before the break and remained a threat in the second half.

• 
  154

  77

  2.50

  Alexis Sánchez

  Still finding his way in this side, the Chilean showed some neat touches and ran all night, but he is still not quite on the same wavelength as his team-mates. Shot straight at Roberto with one good chance after 38 minutes.

• 
  223

  34

  3.50

  Cuenca

  Another fine performance from the young winger, who set up Villa's goal with an excellent run to the byline and a cross with 15 minutes left. Also shot wide in the last minute and wowed the crowd with a Zidane-style 'roulette' in midfield late in the game.

Substitutions

• 
  103

  49

  2.50

  Andrés Iniesta Luján

  Came on for Alexis early in the second half and looked comfortable in the advanced role he plays so well. With the game already won by then, it was a fairly relaxed evening, but his link-up play was positive and he was always available.

• 
  181

  34

  3.50

  Thiago Alcántara

  Came on early in the second half for Xavi and slotted in seamlessly, as he has done for much of this season. Still not at the level of Barcelona's vice-captain, but he's only 20! Committed one nasty foul late on, but his football was impressive.

• 
  219

  28

  3.50

  David Villa

  Left on the bench for the fourth league game running, but got the goal he badly needed to restore confidence as he headed home neatly from Cuenca's cross eight minutes after coming on.

Zaragoza

2.50

• 
  23

  12

  3.00

  Roberto

  Could do little to stop Barca running away with it but made several brilliant stops in the first half, notably from Messi and Cesc. Left exposed by his defenders and not really at fault for any of the goals. Perhaps could have come out for the first as Pique was allowed to head home unmarked from a Xavi free-kick.

• 
  14

  23

  2.50

  Maurizio Lanzaro Flop of the Match

  Poor marking in the free-kick which led to the first goal as Pique was allowed all the time and space in the world to head Barca in front. Struggled to deal with the pace and movement of Messi and Cesc and was booked as well.

• 
  12

  15

  2.50

  David Mateos

  Made a couple of good last-ditch interventions early on but was exposed and unable to deal with Barca's intense attacking play. Never looked comfortable.

• 
  8

  14

  2.50

  Paredes

  Given a tough time by Cuenca and Messi as Barca attacked down the right, but made one excellent sliding challenge to clear the danger in the first half. Replaced by Abraham with 10 minutes left.

• 
  11

  12

  2.50

  Fernando Meira

  Offered little protection from a defensive midfield position, even as he looked to exert a more physical presence. And he gave Zaragoza very little going forward either.

• 
  13

  17

  2.00

  Efraín Juárez

  The midfielder continues to play at right-back, even though it's clearly not his best position. Never looked at ease there, gave away the free-kick for the first goal and was booked for a foul on Alexis.

• 
  8

  13

  2.50

  Leonardo Ponzio

  A hard-worker in defensive midfield, Ponzio nevertheless had his work cut out against a far superior Barca side and was unable to offer sufficient help to his defence as he was overrun in the centre of the park. Didn't look comfortable in possession, either.

• 
  8

  13

  2.50

  Juan Carlos

  Didn't see much of the ball out on the left and was forced to track back and help out in defence for most of the evening. Some neat touches and plenty of toil, but didn't make a real impact.

• 
  9

  14

  2.00

  Pablo Edson Barrera

  A forgettable performance from the Mexican, who failed to impress and offered no real outlet on the right. Deservedly hauled off at the break following a miserable 45 minutes in which he did nothing but lose the ball.

• 
  7

  15

  2.50

  Luis García

  One of the few players to have beaten Barca at Camp Nou (as an Espanyol player), Luis Garcia tried to will his side forward on the break early on, but saw less and less of the ball and was replaced at the interval.

• 
  11

  14

  2.00

  Hélder Postiga

  Isolated in attack and did little apart from win a corner. Linked up once or twice with Lafita after the break, but little else.

Substitutions

• 
  8

  9

  0.00

  Minero

  Came on for the last 10 minutes and made little impact.

• 
  10

  8

  2.50

  Rubén Micael

  Looked bright as he came on and took up some good positions early in the second half. Was ready to pounce as Puyol made one last-ditch clearance, but didn't see enough of the ball.

• 
  21

  8

  3.50

  Lafita

  Zaragoza's best player by far, the former Deportivo La Coruna midfielder added a spark when he came on at the break. Brilliantly got between Maxwell and Pique to blast one effort just over and saw another blocked. Unable to inspire a comeback but positive nevertheless.