Barcelona gave their departing manager Luis Enrique a perfect farewell as the Catalans won the Copa Del Rey final 3-1 against Alaves. The domestic cup trophy win allowed Barcelona to end their season on a high as this campaign has been a damning learning curve for the players and the manager alike.
Lionel Messi broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with his usual out of the box curler before Theo Hernandez levelled for Alaves three minutes later via a beautiful free kick. But the Catalans scored two more before half time courtesy of Neymar and Paco Alcacer to take the game away from their final opponents.
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So without wasting further time, let's head right into the five talking points from Barcelona's Copa Del Rey win over Alaves:
#1 A perfect send off for Lucho
The manager - Luis Enrique - has been loved and loathed in equal measures during his three-year spell in charge of the club. This season was a disappointment for Enrique and his players as questions were raised about the effectiveness of his playing style in the long run.
Enrique decided to call it a day in April and what transpired last night was the perfect farewell to the man who won nine trophies out of a possible 13 during his three seasons with his beloved club.
Barcelona had never lost a game in the Copa Del Rey under Enrique as that record remained intact with a 3-1 win over Alaves. The momentum of the match shifted here and there a few times as making a game nervous for themselves has been an unwelcoming trait of Luis Enrique's Barcelona.
But his players stepped up to the challenge and gave their manager a parting gift to savour on his future endeavours.
#2 Another day, another Lionel Messi masterclass
Barcelona have won three Copa Del Rey trophies on the trot and no prizes for guessing, Lionel Messi has been the man of the match on all three occasions. This was his 30th trophy for the Blaugrana and his 25th goal in 26 finals for the club.
Time and again, Leo Messi has proved his greatness and last night’s big match display reiterated his status as the best of all time.
Messi started the game with a brilliant curler from the edge of the 18-yard box. He had a huge role to play in the buildup to the second goal as Messi showed immense hold up playing ability to draw defenders towards him and then playing an incisive pass to Andre Gomes on the flanks.
Then, for the third goal, Messi went on yet another of his mind-boggling solo run as he beat three defenders in a flash before playing a beautifully weighted pass for Paco Alcacer to slot home.
#3 Theo Hernandez - a star in the making
Alaves were playing in their first ever domestic final and they did their reputation no harm with a fighting display against one of the best sides in the world. Notably, Theo Hernandez was on fire as he smashed home a free-kick into the top corner to score the equaliser for his side.
This was only his second goal of the season but displayed all the qualities which made Real Madrid break the "no transfer pact" with Atletico Madrid for his signature a few weeks ago.
Hernandez has been a revelation this season and will be playing for Real Madrid when the next campaign begins. The 19-year-old has been compared to Gareth Bale because of his playing style with his marauding runs forward becoming a regularity for Alaves this season.
Incidentally, in the final game at the Vicente Calderon, Theo Hernandez became the last Atletico player to score a goal at this famous ground.
#4 Neymar dazzles again at the big stage
The Brazilian has always been a player who delivers when it matters the most. Neymar was on song against Alaves as he scored a goal and managed an assist for Lionel Messi to cap off a successful personal season for himself.
Alaves midfielder Marcos Llorente has been their best player this season and was looking dangerous against the Catalans but Neymar had other ideas.
For the second goal, Neymar beat Llorente with ease and then got behind their defence to turn an Andre Gomes cross in. His goal also made him the first player since Ferenc Puskas to score in three consecutive Copa Del Rey finals.
Along with his exploits in front of the goal, Neymar put in a great shift and was always ready to cover for his teammates.
#5 A good way to end the season for the underperforming stars
Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer have been criticised throughout the course of the season. While the former was questioned for his inability to adapt to the situations around him, the latter's arrival at the club was questioned ahead of Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez. They have been poor but have given glimpses of their brilliance.
Gomes has been decent in a few league games in the past whereas Alcacer had a brilliant game against Real Madrid in the El Clasico.
Last night, both came in handy for Barcelona as Alcacer scored the final goal in the game and in the season for the Catalans while Gomes was dependable in a surprising right-back role.
Javier Mascherano limped off in the first half as Enrique put on Gomes to replace him. The gamble paid off instantly as along with being good defensively, Gomes also provided an assist for Neymar's goal.
