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It was a fairly routine victory for Barcelona, as they put five past a hapless Valladolid at Nou Camp, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez among the goals.
It took less than two minutes for the hosts to go ahead, as centre-back Clement Lenglet opened the scoring with a left-footed finish into the top corner, although the French international was helped by a massive deflection.
Despite the early setback, Valladolid deserve kudos for taking the game to Barcelona and they got a deserved equalizer when Kiko Olivas bundled home after a scramble in the box in the 15th minute.
Barcelona, however, went ahead just 14 minutes later through Arturo Vidal, with Messi also getting in on the act another five minutes later.
From then on, there was no doubt about the result and Barcelona added further gloss to the scoreline with two goals late in the second half and here we shall be highlighting four talking points from the LaLiga fixture at the Camp Nou.
#4 Barcelona go top of LaLiga
Barcelona came into the current season as two-time defending champions, but they started their title defence in less than ideal circumstances and found themselves playing catch-up in the early stages of their campaign.
However, they have turned the tide in recent weeks and following some unexpected dropped points by Real Madrid, the Blaugrana climbed to the summit of LaLiga after matchday 9.
The postponement of their Clasico clash with Real Madrid a week later meant that other clubs had the chance to usurp Barcelona and this happened, with surprise package of the season Granada taking advantage following a narrow 1-0 victory over Real Betis.
With their convincing victory over Real Valladolid, Barcelona moved back to the summit of LaLiga and while Granada could yet displace them if they pick up all three points against Getafe, it is pertinent to note that the Catalans still have a game in hand.
Barcelona have grand ambitions of winning LaLiga this season and 11 matchdays into the campaign, their quest is very much on course.
#3 Arturo Vidal starts and impresses
Arturo Vidal was a curious transfer choice for Barcelona and there were more than a few eyebrows raised when Barcelona approached Bayern Munich for his services in 2018, simply because he didn't possess the kind of passing game the Catalans were known for deploying.
However, the Chilean international has been nothing but a warrior throughout his professional career and got down to business at the Camp Nou with minimum fuss, playing his part in Barcelona's league triumph.
However, he was very much on the peripheries and heading into this season, there was speculation that he could be on his way out of Barcelona. Those rumours amounted to nothing and Arturo Vidal teamed up with his teammates for his second season at the club.
Against Valladolid, the 32-year-old was handed just his second start of the campaign and he wasted little time in trying to make a mark on the game, rising highest to head a cross narrowly over the bar in the early stages of the game.
The former Juventus man thrives on being a box-to-box player and brought these qualities to the fore in the game and deservedly got on the scoresheet in the 29th minute when he showed great technique to convert a lofted pass by Lionel Messi on the volley.
Incredibly, that was his third goal of the campaign which is more than any other Barcelona midfielder has managed and while he might not be a guaranteed starter, Arturo Vidal has shown that he is more than willing to play his part in Barcelona's quest on all fronts this term.
#2 Underwhelming display from Ansu Fati
The last two months have been like a whirlwind for Ansu Fati, as he went from being just another talented prodigy within the La Masia ranks to a global phenomenon in just a matter of weeks.
Having become the youngest player to start a LaLiga game for Barcelona, the teenager went one further by becoming the youngest to score for the illustrious club in over 70 years and he got tongues wagging over the potential he has. Many expect big things from him at Camp Nou and rightly so, as the talent exhibited by Ansu Fati is almost second to none.
The return to full fitness of Barcelona's main forwards has limited his game-time in recent weeks, but against Real Valladolid, Ansu Fati was handed the opportunity to start a game for the first time with the man he is tipped to replace - Lionel Messi.
It was, however, a night to forget for the prodigy, as Valladolid right-back Pedro Porro largely contained him, while he missed an excellent chance to get on the scoresheet after being teed up by Lionel Messi early in the second half.
Fati was substituted for Antoine Griezmann in the 60th minute to a rapturous ovation and while it is advisable to exercise caution with his development, the game against Valladolid was one to forget for the youngster.
#1 Lionel Messi once more the difference-maker
As already indicated, Barcelona struggled in the early part of the campaign and it does not take special analytical skills to realize that their travails were down to the absence of one man.
Though the Catalans might have one of the most talented squads in world football, the importance of Lionel Messi cannot be understated and this is highlighted by the fact that Barcelona are less potent with their talisman out of the squad.
Having started the campaign on the sidelines due to injuries, Messi returned to full fitness in recent weeks and he has gone on to underline just how important he is to the club's cause since his reintegration back into the fold.
Against Real Valladolid, the Argentine international had a hand in four of Barcelona's five goals and would have had more but a combination of some poor finishing by both him and his teammates prevented that.
With the scoreline level 15 minutes from half-time, Lionel Messi took the game by the scruff of the neck and set Arturo Vidal up for the home side's second goal of the night with an exquisite lobbed pass.
The pass was right out of a textbook and while Vidal deserves praise for the technique deployed to keep his shot under control, this was one of those rare cases where the assist was more deserving of praise than the goal itself.
Five minutes later, the Rosario native got in on the act himself, effortlessly guiding a freekick into the top left corner which a despairing Jordi Masip could do nothing to stop. This was the 50th direct freekick scored in his career (44th for Barcelona) and at this rate, there can be no debate over who the best freekick taker is in the world.
The second-half began in the same manner and Lionel Messi set his young teammate Fati up with a pin-point pass, but the soon-to-be 17-year-old should have done better.
With the game approaching its dying embers, Lionel Messi still had plenty to offer and got his brace when he guided Ivan Rakitic's through ball into the bottom corner before setting Luis Suarez for his first goal on the night and Barcelona's fifth.
There was a chance for a hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game but Messi uncharacteristically shot over and wide with the whole goal gaping.
When Lionel Messi is in his elements, there is virtually no team on the planet that can stop him and unfortunately for Real Valladolid, they came up against a prime Messi and were powerless to do anything but watch.
