Espanyol
Pau Lopez: 4/10
The Espanyol keeper had a terrible game as he let in five goals. The horrendous fumble through which Rafinha scored the fourth goal of the game summed up his afternoon. The keeper was also poor while distributing the ball, as one of his clearances went straight to Luis Suarez.
Victor Alvarez: 5/10
The full-back was simply outplayed by Lionel Messi and Dani Alves on the left flank. He just couldn’t deal with the duo. Alvarez also conceded a free-kick just outside the box which led to the first goal of the game.
Ruben Duarte: 6/10
The centre-back was a little too strong with his challenges. The Spaniard was extremely fortunate to not give away a penalty after he brought Messi down in the box with his outstretched leg. Duarte made a few crucial interceptions and tackles, but could not prevent his side from crumbling before Barcelona.
Enzo Roco: 5/10
Roco had a fairly good first half as he managed to keep Suarez in check. The Chilean also contributed with a couple of vital blocks. But the centre-back's dreadful positioning was something that Barcelona’s front three took great advantage of.
Javi Lopez: 4/10
From the very beginning, Javi Lopez was tormented by Neymar as the winger danced his way past the full-back with ease almost every time. Lopez couldn’t get anywhere near the quick-footed Brazilian throughout the ninety minutes. He also failed to contain Suarez in the build-up to the former Liverpool man’s second goal.
Canas: 5.5/10
Canas made his return after being out of action since December. The Spaniard occupied a deep position in Espanyol’s midfield, but he still failed to coordinate with the defense. The central midfielder was substituted in the 72nd minute for Paco Montanes.
Victor Sanchez: 6/10
Sanchez failed to make the best out of the very few chances that his side had all throughout the game. Still, the former Barcelona man was quite composed on the ball as he tried to make the right decisions. At the end of the day, the Spaniard could only earn a couple of off-target shots to his name.
Pape Diop: 4/10
Diop was most certainly one of the worst performers of the afternoon. The Senegalese was extremely wasteful in possession. His carelessness in dangerous areas led to him losing possession at crucial moments. Two of his errors were immediately punished with goals from the Blaugrana.
Marco Asensio: 5.5/10
The forward failed to have any significant impact on the game. Asensio was isolated for most parts of the match, with Dani Alves effectively running him down and taking him out of the picture. He won a late free-kick for his side outside Barcelona’s box, but it was too little too late from the Spaniard.
Felipe Caicedo: 5/10
Caicedo was the target man for Espanyol. He held up the ball well in midfield as he looked to carry the counterattack against an ever so dominant Barcelona, but the forward was contained well by Pique and Mascherano.
Hernan Perez: 5/10
The Paraguayan looked lively in the beginning but struggled to have any real impact on the game. Perez found it difficult to complete passes and also got booked for a cynical challenge on Iniesta. He was later replaced by Roberto Correa.
Substitutes
Roberto Correa: 4/10
Roberto Correa came on for Hernan Perez in the second half and made his way into the referee’s book minutes later. The right-back was wasteful in possession and gave the ball away too easily.
Gerard Moreno: 3/10
Moreno was brought in for Caicedo right after the break. The former Villarreal man struggled to adjust to the tempo of the game and was cut-off from the rest of his side.
Paco Montanes: 5/10
Paco Montanes came on for Canas in the 72nd minute. There wasn’t much the Spaniard could do for his side as the damage was already done.
