Barcelona 5-0 Eibar: 5 players who impressed for the Catalans | LaLiga 2019-20

After a week fraught with controversies and counter-accusations, Barcelona ended on a high, doing their business on the field in style, with a 5-0 victory over Eibar sending them momentarily top of the table.

The Catalans raced into a 3-0 lead at half-time and at that point, the tie was as good as over and two very late goals in the second half wrapped up proceedings for the defending champions ahead of what would be a defining week in their season.

Lionel Messi was the star of the show, with his four-goal haul seeing him expectedly named as the Man-of-the-match but the Argentine international had ample support and in this piece, we shall be highlighting five players who played a key role in the convincing victory for Barcelona.

Honourable mention: Martin Braithwaite

#5 Junior Firpo

Firpo impressed in the absence of Jordi Alba

With regular left-back Jordi Alba having suffered an adductor problem against Getafe last time out, Junior Firpo was handed a start against Eibar.

The 23-year-old has not really lit up the stage since arriving at Camp Nou last summer but he is undoubtedly a quality full-back, evidenced by his energetic displays for Real Betis over two seasons (including in their 4-3 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou last term).

Most of Barcelona's attacks against Eibar came through their left flank and a lot of that was down to Firpo's adventurous runs forward, with the left-back combining well with Arturo Vidal to constantly put Alvaro Tejero on the backfoot.

With Alba set to miss out on the coming clashes with Napoli and Real Madrid, his understudy would come up against much more quality opposition but Firpo's display against Eibar would give him confidence heading into the marquee fixtures ahead.

#4 Arturo Vidal

Vidal impressed for Barcelona

Arturo Vidal was a rather surprising signing when Barcelona bought him from Bayern Munich, as the Chilean international was the exact opposite of the traits and requirements of a Barcelona midfielder.

However, throughout his career, the former Juventus man has proven himself to be a serial winner who is willing to give his all in a bid to achieve success with his team and his spell at Camp Nou has been no different.

Despite being a squad player on occasion, Vidal has always performed at an optimum and has benefited from an advanced role this season, with his tally of six goals and two assists from just seven starts in the league indicative of his growing influence on the team.

Like fellow South American Luis Suarez, he seems to have developed an on-field partnership with Lionel Messi and having started in the home behind the front two, he combined well with Junor Firpo on the left flank and ended his night with the assist for Messi's second goal.

The 32-year-old had two shots, hitting the target once, while he also made two key passes and would have registered a second assist but for Griezmann's wastefulness from his excellent cutback.

#3 Ivan Rakitic

FC Barcelona v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga

Ivan Rakitic was close to leaving Barcelona in each of the last two transfer windows but with no concrete offer accepted, the Croatian international would remain at Camp Nou until at least the end of the season.

He was handed a rare start against Jose Luis Mendilibar's side and he shone like a million stars, putting in a performance to remind everyone of why he is one of the most underrated players in the world.

Starting on the right of a midfield three, the Croatian international gave arguably his best display of the season, combining his attacking impetus with his defensive solidity to ensure that the Catalans enjoyed a firm grip of the game.

Rakitic played a key role in breaking the deadlock, as he showed great dedication and drive to win the ball high in the Eibar half before playing in Messi to open the scoring.

He also registered a shot on target, while not neglecting his defensive duties, with his three tackles and two interceptions proof of the commanding performance he gave.

#2 Arthur Melo

FC Barcelona v Sevilla FC - La Liga

Arthur has come a long way since earning rave reviews for his emphatic performance against Tottenham last season and despite impressing almost everytime he takes to the field, the summer arrival of Frenkie de Jong has limited the influence of the Brazilian international.

Quique Setien's decision to hand the former Ajax man a rest against Eibar meant that Arthur was given the responsibility of functioning as Barcelona's main creative force from midfield and the former Gremio man shone in this role, leaving his manager with plenty to think of.

The 23-year-old was almost unplayable in the Barcelona midfield, with his vision and ability on the ball acting as the launchpad for many of his side's attacks going forward.

Arthur completed 87.7% of his passes, while he also played one through ball and was one of only two players in the match to complete more than one dribble (alongside Lionel Messi).

Heading into the dying embers of the game, the only thing missing from Arthur's complete performance was a goal but Dmitrovic's parry from the equally impressive Braithwaite's shot in the 89th minute ensured that he got his name on the scoreheet.

#1 Lionel Messi

It took just 40 minutes for Lionel Messi to put the game beyond Eibar, with his hat-trick coming in the second quickest time in his career (it took him 30 minutes to put three past Mallorca in 2011).

He scored a fourth late in the match and with his latest feat, it meant that the Argentine maestro has scored three or more goals on 48 occasions for Barcelona, one clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's total at club level (yet another titbit for the GOAT debate) and those who questioned his greatness after his recent goal drought must be eating humble pie now.

The first was unarguably the best of the lot, with Messi picking the ball 30 yards from goal before skipping past three challenges and the other three goals were easy enough finishes for someone of his ability.

Having assisted six times in four matches without finding the back of the net, Lionel Messi would have been pleased to rediscover his scoring touch for Barcelona and this does not bode well for their upcoming opponents.