Barcelona continued their winning streak after their dominant 4-1 victory against Villarreal at Camp Nou. The Catalans kept their spot at the top of the table but were not able to extend their lead as Real Madrid comfortably won their game too.
Neymar opened the scoring 21 minutes into the game after latching onto a deflected shot from fellow teammate Lionel Messi, only to see Bakambu, the Congolese forward, equalise 10 minutes later. However, Barcelona put themselves in front yet again after Messi danced his way through a couple defenders and drove the ball low into the back of the net from just outside the box.
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Luis Suarez extended the lead after finishing a swift counter-attack at 69 minutes, and the game concluded when Messi finally sealed the deal and added to his tally of 50 goals in Europe this season.
Here are the player ratings.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 5/10
Despite giving the ball away outside the penalty box and almost conceding, he was consistent for the remainder of the game. He was helpless against Bakambu’s equaliser after the Barcelona defence failed to respond to the counter-attack.
Sergio Roberto – 6/10
Although he lost the ball a couple of times, he assisted Suarez’s goal and roamed up the pitch on numerous occasions and helped add more diversity to Barcelona’s attack.
Gerard Pique – 6/10
The Spaniard was completely outpaced by Bakambu and struggled to deal with him, but was solid otherwise.
Samuel Umtiti – 7/10
The Frenchman was arguably the strongest defender in the team last night and continued to show his skills in his debut season.
Lucas Digne – 5/10
He had difficulty in controlling the tempo of the game and had a rather lethargic performance
Sergio Busquets – 6/10
The midfielder had a shaky first 45 minutes after carelessly giving the ball away on the edge of the box, but did manage to put on a more steady performance in the second half
Ivan Rakitic – 6/10
Although the Croatian was unable to provide clinical passes, he demonstrated his work ethic. He tackled pretty well and kept the opposition midfielders at bay.
Andres Iniesta – 5/10
The Spanish magician was unable to replicate his past performances as he continued his inconsistent season by putting in a lacklustre performance.
Lionel Messi – 7/10
The Argentinian superstar played well, assisting Neymar’s goal and influenced the game significantly. His first goal was a typical Leo Messi goal and showed his individual brilliance.
Luis Suarez – 6/10
He didn’t look like a thorn in Villarreal’s side until he launched a counter-attack and extended Barcelona’s lead. The Uruguayan worked hard to win the possession of the football.
Neymar – 7/10
He was quick enough to react to Messi’s deflected shot and slotted the ball into the back of the net. Showed his determination and energy after giving the Villareal defenders a run for their money. The Brazilian was arguably the best player on the pitch.
Substitutes
Javier Mascherano – 5/10
He replaced Busquets and looked comfortable in the midfield and allowed Barcelona to see out the game.
Jordi Alba – N/A
Andre Gomes – N/A
Villarreal
Andres Fernandez – 5/10
The Spanish goalkeeper was helpless against the lethal Barcelona strike force. Perhaps he could have done better to save Neymar’s goal.
Mario Gaspar Perez – 5/10
The defender tackled with determination and helped evade some Barcelona attacks but was unable to prevent the Blaugrana from working their magic eventually.
Mateo Musacchio – 6/10
The Argentine was overwhelmed by the Barcelona midfield, although he did try to move the ball up the pitch and made a few good passes.
Jaume Costa – 5/10
The left-back played decently and helped his team from conceding more goals. However, he struggled defensively and made quite a few mistakes.
Roberto Soriano – 6/10
The Italian midfielder did have a slightly bigger impact in the second half but was unable to bypass the tight Barcelona defence and gave away the ball sloppily a few times.
Manu Trigueros – 5/10
The Barcelona side was too strong for him to deal with as lost possession occasionally and was unable to provide clinical through passes.
Rodrigo Cascante – 6/10
He looked to be comfortable in the first half and made a number of clearances but made a few shabby tackles.
Jonathan Dos Santos – 6/10
The creative midfielder – although not at his best – made a few impressive passes and brought energy to a defeated Villarreal side.
Cedric Bakambu – 7/10
The Congolese striker scored the only goal for Villarreal after outrunning Pique and calmly finishing the ball home. He didn’t get much service after that.
Roberto Soldado – 5/10
The former Tottenham man lacked quality and poise in the final third of the pitch and was unable to do anything with the ball. He didn’t have any impact on the game.
Substitutes
Samu Castillejo – 5/10
Replaced Jonathon Soriano and performed solidly and didn’t make too many mistakes.
Adrian Lopez – N/A
Nicola Sansone – N/A
