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Barcelona climbed back to the summit of La Liga with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Real Valladolid on Tuesday night at Camp Nou.
The hosts came into the fixture with more freshness than their opponents, having rested over the weekend due to the postponement of their weekend league clash with Real Madrid over security concerns.
This showed as it took less than two minutes for Ernesto Valverde's men to go ahead when Clement Lenglet scored his first goal of the campaign in fortuitous circumstances, but the defending champions were soon pegged back in an even more inexplicable sequence.
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However, from then on, it was one-way action and Barcelona imposed their will on the game, with the result put to bed as early as the 34th minute.
It was a largely wholesome performance from the Catalans and coach Valverde would have been very pleased with the output of several players who played a massive role in securing all three points for the Blaugrana.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting four players who were the most impressive for Barcelona in their fixture with Real Valladolid.
#4 Ivan Rakitic
After playing a starring role in all the successes enjoyed by Barcelona since his arrival at Camp Nou in 2014, Ivan Rakitic has seen his importance reduced this season.
The abundance of talent in the middle means that there is an intense competition for places in midfield and the arrival of Frenkie de Jong over the summer only added to the fight.
However, despite his lack of playing time, Rakitic remains a popular member of the dressing room and it is not hard to see why.
The Croatian international is a tireless worker who gives his utmost on the field of play and upon his introduction in place of de Jong in the 60th minute, fans inside the Camp Nou were quick to give a rapturous welcome to the former Sevilla captain.
Having all but wrapped up proceedings in the first half, the second half was largely a procession for Barcelona and they struggled to create too many clear-cut chances with the game just drifting by and devoid of any real goalmouth action.
Rakitic's introduction helped rectify that, as he injected a much-needed bite into the Barcelona midfield and forced the Valladolid defenders onto the backfoot with his bursting drives forward.
Just 15 minutes after his arrival, Rakitic made a mark on the game, setting Lionel Messi up for his brace with a perfectly timed through ball, while he also set up his teammates on some other occasions.
In total, the 31-year-od completed 45 passes - which was just two less than the 47 de Jong managed - (despite playing for the best part of an hour) and even though his place in the starting lineup might not be guaranteed, Rakitic showed that he still has a lot to offer with his cameo against Valladolid.
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#3 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez drifted on the peripheries of the game for the first hour, but exploded to life and got into the thick of the action in the final half-hour following the introduction of Ivan Rakitic.
The Uruguayan international thought he put the ball in the back of the net in the 70th minute from a Jordi Alba square ball, but the linesman was quick to raise his flag and VAR review confirmed that the 32-year-old was marginally offside.
Just seven minutes later, he was not to be denied as he showed great instincts to convert a delightful through ball by his friend and teammate Lionel Messi to bring his tally for the season to six from eight league matches.
In the dying moments of the game, the former Liverpool man showed great technique to skillfully evade the marking of three Valladolid players but his subsequent shot lacked the firepower to beat Jordi Masip in the Valladolid goal.
Though he might have his detractors, Luis Suarez remains an elite striker of the highest quality and if he is to perform at his usual standards, Barcelona would be confident in their chances of going all the way this season.
#2 Arturo Vidal
Arturo Vidal has made seven La Liga appearances for Barcelona this season, but of those seven, just two have been starts.
The second of those came in the fixture with Real Valladolid and the Chilean was eager to prove his worth and nearly got his name on the scoresheet in the 26th minute but headed narrowly over the post.
Three minutes later, he was not to be denied and while Lionel Messi would get all the props for what was an unbelievable lofted through ball, Vidal also deserves praise for showing excellent technique to keep the ball under control and hit it on the volley.
The former Juventus man put in a vintage box-to-box performance and had a number of chances to add to his tally, while he also showed his defensive attributes with six tackles and two clearances and his performance would give Valverde positive worries over what his best midfield is.
#1 Lionel Messi
Real Valladolid might well have had a chance against Barcelona on another day (their performance was not that bad), however, they came up against a Barcelona side that was inspired by a Lionel Messi who was unplayable on the night.
Of his side's five goals, Lionel Messi had a hand in four, with his first major contribution on the night coming when he set Vidal up with a pass that words cannot accurately describe.
A few minutes later, he got a goal for himself, scoring a finely-placed freekick into the top corner to bring his season total to two and his career total to a staggering 50 direct free-kicks scored.
His brace was achieved in the 75th minute and though he squandered a gilt-edged chance to score a hat-trick with the last kick of the game, he still assisted Luis Suarez for Barcelona's, fifth meaning he has assisted and scored four goals each from just five matches (wonder how many that would have been had he not been sidelined by injury).
In what was a five-star display, Messi's numbers against Real Valladolid were truly breathtaking; he had game-high totals of six shots, with four of those being on target, while he made four key passes, and completed seven dribbles and also contributed defensively with one interception.
