Barcelona 2-1 Deportivo Alaves: Player Ratings

Barcelona

Barcelona maintained their lead atop the La Liga table

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7.5/10

ter Stegen was a solid presence at the back. He was called into action quite often and did well on all occasions. He made excellent stops throughout the match to keep his team in the game.

Nelson Semedo: 7/10

The full-back had a pretty solid game for his team. He did not allow anyone on his inside, neither did he allow Ibai Gomez to flourish on the left-hand side. Attacking, he did not venture up much, which is certainly not enough at a club of FC Barcelona's stature.

Gerard Pique: 7/10

Pique had a good game as he dominated and won everything that came his way in the air. He won headers, made blocks and clearances and was a calm head in the heart of the Barca defence. However, he was initially troubled quite a bit by Alaves forwards' movements, but he was a lot more solid as the game progressed.

Samuel Umtiti: 5.5/10

The France international put in a sub-par performance at the heart of the defence. He did not shy away from challenges and played the ball out well but was often all over the place when dealing with Guidetti's movements and physicality. He was also caught upfront, out of position, for Alaves' goal.

Lucas Digne: 7/10

He did fairly well against Hernan Perez and defended well in general and was probably one of the better Barcelona defenders of the night. Offensively, he was decent but not quite on the level Jordi Alba has been on throughout the season.

Paulinho: 6/10

He had a bright start to the game and was involved in the buildups during the first half. However, he faded as the match went on. He did not offer himself much to his teammates when in possession but was a hard worker off it.

Ivan Rakitic: 7.5/10

The Croatian International was influential throughout the game. He broke plays and started attacks from his own half. This was a good commanding display from him in the middle of the park.

Philippe Coutinho: 6.5/10

Decent performance from the former Liverpool midfield virtuoso. He was tidy in possession but never much of a threat, though he was played out of position on the right-hand side. He won back the ball quite a few number of times though.

Andres Iniesta: 8/10

Andres Iniesta(L) ran the show for Barcelona

The World Cup winner looked sharp and dictated things for Barcelona from the midfield. His turns and touches were delightful to watch and suggest that he may have a few years worth of top-level football in his tank. Notably, he set up Luis Suarez for Barcelona's equalizer.

Lionel Messi: 7/10

The diminutive Argentine had a poor game by his standards. He was marked out of the game and was quickly crowded when on the ball. His influence did grow in the second half as he went on to score Barcelona's winner from a superb freekick.

Luis Suarez: 7/10

Luis Suarez(L) scoring the equaliser

The old Luisito is back. Took his goal with a fine finish into Pacheco's far post. He worked hard all night and never shied away from running beyond the last man despite being crowded out and marked heavily all night long.

Substitutes:

Jordi Alba: 7/10

He was brought on in the second half for Lucas Digne. His introduction meant Barcelona immediately looked way more threatening.

Sergi Roberto: 6/10

Just like Jordi Alba, his introduction meant that Barcelona were far more threatening in the attack as compared to the first half. However, a few silly mistakes here and there defensively could have turned into a disaster for him.

Paco Alcacer: 5.5/10

Was brought on for Philippe Coutinho in the 66th minute, but his return from injury was not quite influential. His only major contribution in the game was winning the freekick off which Leo Messi scored the winner.