Barcelona 5-0 Celta Vigo (6-1 aggregate): 5 talking points

Final Score: Barcelona 5-0 Celta Vigo (6-1 aggregate)

Goals: Lionel Messi 13', 15', Jordi Alba 28', Luis Suarez 31', Ivan Rakitic 87'

Messi & Co. put in a stunning show at the Camp Nou to knock out Celta Vigo from the Copa del Rey 2017/18. After a disappointing 1-1 draw at the Estadio de Balaidos, Valverde’s men put in an eye-catching display in front of their home fans.

Ernesto Valverde recalled his big guns for the second leg as Messi, Suárez, and Iniesta were named in the starting 11. Unzue made six changes to the team that drew 2-2 against Real Madrid in the weekend.

Lionel Messi was the star of the show, as he struck twice within the first 15 minutes of the game. Alba made it 3-0 at the half-hour mark and Suarez added the fourth before the halftime. It finished 5-0 at the final whistle as Celta could not recover from an early shock and lost the tie 6-1 on aggregate.

On that note, let’s take a look at the key talking points from the game.

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#5 Celta Vigo lost the plot in the first half

Celta defence had no answers for Messi & Co.

Barcelona started the game on the front foot and never took the foot off the pedal in the first half. Celta Vigo was pinned down at the back for most of the first half by the free-flowing Barcelona side.

Daniel Wass and Hugo Malla struggled to keep up with the pace of Jordi Alba and succumbed under pressure. The first Barcelona goal was a result of poor goalkeeping by Alvarez while the second was a fine team goal.

The speed of Barcelona's attack caught the visitors off guard, especially Sergi Gomez and Fontas. The centre-back pairing of Celta Vigo had a horrific night at the Camp Nou. They were all over the place at the back, allowing Barcelona to break them on a consistent basis.

Pione Sisto gifted a goal to Luis Suarez as his attempted back pass to Alvarez was intercepted by the Uruguayan. The game virtually got over in the first 31 minutes.

#4 Messi and Alba - the best assist-to-scorer pair in Europe’s top flight League

Messi and Alba mesmerized Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou

The defender-striker partnership is wrecking havoc this campaign. Jordi Alba made his sixth and seventh assists for Lionel Messi this season as they tormented Celta's defence throughout the first half.

Most of the Barcelona chances in the first half came on the left flank, as Messi and Alba combined well to put Celta Vigo under constant pressure. They broke the deadlock in the 14th minute as Messi hammered Jordi Alba's cross into the back of the net.

The pair put Barcelona 2-0 ahead within the next two minutes. Messi grabbed his second of the night after picking up a beautiful cross from Jordi Alba. It was an excellent linkup between the defender and the striker.

The creator scores one for himself. Messi sends a beautiful ball behind the Celta defence and Alba was there to put it past Alvarez. It was a fine finish by Jordi Alba and the game looked over within the first 30 minutes. A breathtaking show by Messi and Alba.

#3 Pione Sisto, Iago Aspas, and Daniel Wass disappoint

It was a disappointing night for the Celta Vigo front line

Three of the in-form Celta Vigo players had a night to forgot at the Camp Nou. Pione Sisto was the star of the show for Celta Vigo this season but he was the most disappointing of the three on the night. The fourth Barcelona goal was a result of his mistake and the Danish international had a poor outing at the Camp Nou.

Aspas came close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute but Mascherano was there to deny him a great chance. It was the only time Celta Vigo created something meaningful in the first half. For the rest of the first half, they were forced to sit at the back and offered nothing in terms of a threat against the Barcelona goal. Aspas was isolated up front and Celta could not get the ball up to him on a regular basis.

Aspas and Wass were taken off at the halftime while Sisto played an additional 11 minutes. All in all, a poor show by Celta Vigo's key players.

#4 Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets put in a stunning midfield show

Impressive midfield display by the Spaniard

Rakitic and Busquets were simply phenomenal on the night. Their passing was accurate and they enjoyed a lot of time on the ball. They read the game well and kept things ticking.

Rakitic's passing accuracy in the final third was very impressive (91%) and he rarely misplaced a pass. He capped his fine display with a goal for himself. He was left unmarked in the box and the Croatian headed it past Alvarez from 10 yards out into the top corner to seal the game 5-0.

Busquets too was quite impressive. He made 104 successful passes on the night and was assured on the ball. He made 4 well-timed tackles, in addition to 4 interceptions and 11 recoveries. A great midfield show by the experienced duo.

#1 Impressive cameo by Ousmane Dembele

The Frenchman is beginning to find his feet in Spain

This Barcelona side is looking in ominous form at the moment and everything Valverde touches is turning into gold. Ousmane Dembele is beginning to make his mark after a lengthy injury layoff.

He started on the substitutes bench and replaced Lionel Messi at the hour mark. With the game already sealed, the Frenchman was given a free license to play his natural game. He made some blistering runs and troubled the Celta Vigo defence with his pace and trickery.

He made two successful crosses and one of them was an assist to the Rakitic goal. He also made four successful take-ons and produced a lively performance. A fully fit Dembele will do wonders for the Catalan Giants.