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Barcelona edged past Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in La Liga on Sunday and somewhat avenged their recent Spanish Super Cup loss to the Basque outfit.
Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann were on target for Ronald Koeman's team on either side of a disastrous own goal from Jordi Alba.
Los Leones, who've picked up the least number of points away from home in the division this season, once again came a cropper.
The attacking flair with which they defeated Barcelona to clinch the Supercopa title two weeks ago was conspicuously missing here.
While the Blaugrana themselves weren't too impressive, they made the most of the chances they got.
The victory lifts Barcelona above Real Madrid in the standings, while Athletic Bilbao drop into the bottom half.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Lionel Messi put on a scintillating display on a day when he was embroiled in another controversy.
The Argentine ace fired in an unstoppable free-kick from 25 yards, breaking the deadlock and sealing his 650th strike for the club.
The Barcelona skipper was the key to linking up attacking moves and opening up Bilbao's defence with his mazy dribbles.
He led his side in terms of chances created with four and was involved in the second goal, with a delicate pass to assist-maker Oscar Mingueza.
Flop: Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
The man who normally loves scoring against Barcelona had a rather quiet night at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
Inaki Williams, so often a thorn in the flesh of the Catalans whenever these clubs meet, was devoid of service.
Barcelona's defence kept him in check, and the Spaniard wasn't given any room to breathe, squished between the sturdy duo of Ronald Araujo and Samuel Umtiti.
If that wasn't enough, Williams missed a great chance from point-blank range during the final minutes of normal time as Iker Muniain's excellent cross went begging.
Having scored in each of the last two games against Barcelona, the 26-year old striker missed a chance to create a unique record by making it three in succession.
Hit: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Frenkie de Jong's adaptation process at Barcelona appears to be over, and he is now ready to become a key cog in Ronald Koeman's plans.
The Dutchman, who only impressed in bits and parts in his debut campaign, has looked more and more at home this season.
Sunday's performance proved this as the former Ajax man ran the rules in the midfield with poise and electric energy.
Starting in a double pivot at the base of the midfield alongside Miralem Pjanic, he was the key to regaining possession.
De Jong completed an astounding 94% of his passes and won two aerial duels as he turned in his best shift of this calendar year.
Flop: Yuri Berchiche (Athletic Bilbao)
Athletic Bilbao's full-backs, especially Yuri Berchiche, offered no edge to their attack and folded easily under pressure.
While he showed commitment in driving forward, his crosses were too often overhit, leaving Williams rooted to the ground.
On the defensive front, the left-back tried to press some players in possession but without ever making a tackle or a block.
His passes seemed wayward too, as he misplaced plenty of them to finish the match with a 78% success.
Berchiche only recovered from a vertigo issue recently, so perhaps he might not be at his best yet. Either way, this was a sluggish and sloppy performance from the 30-year old.
Hit: Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona)
In a rather welcome sight for the Blaugrana faithful, Antoine Griezmann turned in a good shift in the attack for Barcelona and even capped his performance with a match-winning goal.
He looked sharp all night and linked up brilliantly with Messi during the opening stanza with some neat, one-touch football.
With the Catalans amping up the pressure after Alba's own goal, the Frenchman continued to take up good positions in attacking areas and was rewarded for the same.
Oscar Mingueza squared a hooked cross from Messi onto an unmarked Griezmann. The Frenchman had the goal gaping in front of him and made no mistake, tapping home one of his easiest strikes.
With the match-winner, Griezmann brings his tally to 10 goals for the season in all competitions, including six in La Liga.
