Barcelona 1-0 Valencia - 5 Talking Points

Scoreline: Barcelona 1-0 Valencia

Goalscorers: Luis Suarez (67th minute)

Ernesto Valverde's men have taken an advantage over opponents Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Nou Camp. The Blaugrana mustered a 1-0 win in their home leg courtesy of a Luis Suarez header in the second half and dominated the proceedings till the end.

Lionel Messi asked a few questions to the Valencia defenders on the night and it was his driving run that provided the hosts their breakthrough in the 67th minute. Luis Suarez found the back of the net with his head after connecting with an inch-perfect cross from Barcelona's talisman.

The second leg will be held at the Mestalla next week as Barcelona continue to dominate on all fronts. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the five key talking points from the game:

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#5 Valencia contained Barcelona in the first half

Valencia managed to prevent Messi from scoring

Barcelona came into the game as strong favourites and looked quite the same for a majority of the period. They were effortlessly smooth while going forward and quick to win the ball back whenever they lost hold of it. Valencia, like any other team, were on the back-foot as they continued to weather the storm.

Marcelino's men managed to keep Messi and Co. at bay up until halftime despite the hosts dominating possession and pushing for openings. Valencia put bodies behind the ball and kept their shape throughout the first forty-five minutes to head into the break at even.

Barcelona picked up from there eventually but were contained very well by the visitors, who did well to almost nick something out of the game.

#4 Andreas Pereira was robust in his approach

Red card?

Pereira could have grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons after he clattered into Lionel Messi with his studs showing, in the first half. The referee was not hesitant to award the Brazilian a yellow-card but replay suggested that perhaps if VAR had been around, Pereira might have earned himself an early shower against the runaway league leaders.

There has been talk about Jose Mourinho keeping tabs on the winger's development during his impressive loan spell with Valencia this season and today's performance suggested that he needs to add more discipline and patience to his game if he is to nail down a place at Old Trafford in the future.

Pereira was withdrawn at halftime for Nemanja Maksimovic after already getting cautioned and picking up what looked like a minor niggle.

#3 Andres Iniesta masterclass in midfield

Iniesta ran the show for the hosts

Andres Iniesta was at his influential best during his time on the pitch today and was constantly looking to try and carve out an opportunity for his team every time he was on the ball. The veteran midfielder had clocked up an impressive 90 minutes against Alaves during the weekend but showed no signs of fatigue and grew in confidence as the game progressed.

The introduction of Coutinho in the second half meant that we witnessed a sneak peek into the idea of accommodating both the players in an effective manner to muster maximum output for the side.

Iniesta was as vital a cog in Barcelona's highly convincing and ruthless football on the night as anyone.

#2 Luis Suarez can't stop scoring

Suarez scored the only goal of the game

The Uruguayan's goal tally currently stands at 16 from as many appearances and he was yet again at the right place at the right time to find the back of the net. Suarez has now scored 9 goals against Valencia in all competitions and proved to be the Catalans' match-winner on the night.

Suarez was a constant thorn in the flesh for the visitors and worked tirelessly in front of goal to try and find openings. The striker was helped on by the Valencia defenders, who were left in shambles during the build-up to the goal, after they failed to keep an eye on him following an incisive run from Messi deep into the area.

'El Pistolero' also ensured that the Blaugrana continued to press high up the pitch without giving an inch of space to their opponents.

#1 Everything to play for at the Mestalla

Barcelona hold the advantage heading into the second leg

The Barcelona faithful will surely be more than happy with the result after being wary of the threat Valenica can offer on their day. Despite being on the back foot for the majority of the game, the visitors managed to keep things tight at the back for an hour or so before finally getting caught out by Barcelona.

Valverde had already expressed his intentions of trying to snap up silverware in the Copa del Rey and if they want to progress they will face a stern test away from home at the Mestalla.

In recent memory, Barcelona haven't been all that convincing in Valencia's backyard and Los Che will be hoping to spring a surprise or two when they meet again next week in the second leg of the semi-final tie.