Barcelona 3-1 Valencia: 5 talking points as Blaugrana make comeback victory on Sergio Aguero's long-awaited debut | La Liga 2021-22

#3 Gaya goes from hero to villain

Gaya conceded a penalty to Barcelona which Depay clinically dispatched.

After scoring a truly awesome opening goal against Barcelona, Gaya appeared to have justified his inclusion in the Valencia starting XI. But his night quickly turned sour after conceding a penalty to the hosts, which shifted the initiative back in their favour.

About 34 minutes after his crowning moment in the match, Gaya was penalised for bringing down Fati inside the box. He went into the books, and the match official had no choice but to point to the spot.

The in-form Depay stepped up and made no mistake, powering home his effort into the top-right corner as Cillessen stayed rooted to his spot. And just like that, the Blaugrana were ahead 2-1 before half-time, and never relinquished the momentum.

Without the penalty, it would've made for an interesting second half had the sides gone into the break on level terms. Gaya, though, had other ideas.

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#2 Coutinho eclipses Aguero in the battle of cameos

Coutinho issued a response to his Barcelona doubters.

Sergio Aguero made his long-awaited Barcelona debut on the night, coming off the bench in the 87th minute for Sergino Dest. While it was a special occasion, he didn't have much time to mark it with anything special.

Watching the Argentine play for a club other than Manchester City was obviously strange, but the 34-year-old should get among the goals again.

However, on the night, Philippe Coutinho stole Aguero's thunder by scoring off the bench to effectively end the contest.

The Brazilian, coming at around the hour mark for Fati, got Barcelona's third of the night just five minutes from time. He latched onto a cut-back from Dest before slotting home from close range to make it 3-1, wrapping up the victory.

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#1 Barcelona ease pressure on beleaguered Koeman

The Barcelona manager finally has some breathing room.

Ronald Koeman has been walking a tight rope for quite some time now. Patchy form and poor on-field results had brought the Dutchman under the scanner last month, with talks of a possible sack also doing the rounds.

Moreover, when former midfielder Miralem Pjanic revealed about his poor management that caused a rift between them, the fans were baying for his blood. But fast forward a few days, the Blaugrana produced an emphatic performance to see off a tough side in Valencia. That was only their second win in six league outings.

They're still in seventh place with 15 points from eight games, but have a game in hand. Barcelona now turn their attention towards Wednesday's Champions League clash with Dynamo Kyiv. Koeman can breathe easy, though; his job is safe for now.