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Ernesto Valverde's FC Barcelona bounced back after their disappointing 1-1 draw in midweek against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League, with a thumping win over neighbours Girona at the Nou Camp last night.
The Catalan derby got off to a flying start when the visitors grabbed a shocking lead in the 3rd minute through Portu but the celebrations did not last long as Luis Suarez hit back almost immediately to level things up.
Lionel Messi was Barcelona's talisman yet again as he netted a brace and became the creator in chief for Suarez's second goal on the night to help the hosts reach half-time with a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Philippe Coutinho added to the tally in the 66th minute with a signature curling effort from 20 yards out, and Suarez capped off an impressive performance on the night by completing his hat-trick 10 minutes later to take the match ball home.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how players from both sides fared during the match:
Girona FC
Bono - 4/10
The Moroccan in goal for the visitors had a tough time trying to stop the wrath of the likes of Suarez and Messi. Bono was not handed any favours from his teammates and ended up conceding 6 times on the night.
Jonas Ramalho - 5/10
Ramalho was part of a back three that was handed the mammoth task of preserving a lead at the Nou Camp and they failed to deliver the goods on the night, like anyone would expect. The defender did very little to prevent the hosts from running riot on their way to a comfortable victory.
Bernardo Espinosa - 5/10
Deployed at the centre of defence, the Colombian struggled to keep Luis Suarez quiet in the first half and was constantly kept on his toes by the Barcelona attackers who hardly put a foot wrong on the night.
Juanpe - 5/10
Like his companions, even Juanpe was kept busy for the majority of the game and the Spaniard failed to offer any significant resistance that could've helped the visitors turn the tie around. Booked.
Pablo Maffeo - 6/10
Maffeo was constantly trying to force the initiative on the hosts at the flanks and worked tirelessly to try and create an opening for his side. The full-back, on loan from Manchester City, was equally aware of his defensive duties but could do very little to prevent Barcelona from hitting top gear.
Pere Pons - 5/10
The Spaniard failed to influence the game through the middle of the park and struggled whenever he was pitted against the best in the form of Philippe Coutinho and Sergio Busquets. Pons struggled throughout the game and never really looked like kicking on.
Alex Granell - 5/10
Granell did not enjoy a lot of his involvement in the game just like many of his teammates as Girona slowly, but steadily got steamrolled by an impressive performance from the hosts. The midfielder would feel that he should have offered more down the middle for his side.
Borja Garcia - 6/10
Garcia did not have a spectacular night but he looked like one of the players who were less intimidated by the occasion and the opponents on the night. The midfielder would have loved more involvement on the ball to try and create something for the visitors.
Anthony Lozano - 5/10
The attacker failed to hit the ground running for Girona and was let down on a number of occasions due to his poor technique and overall approach to the game. Lozano wasn't helped by the fact that he had absolutely no one to try and link-up with for major portions of the game either.
Portu - 6/10
Portu did well to pounce on an opportunity and provide Girona with the opening goal in the 3rd minute. However, he could do very little from there on, and watched as Barcelona took the game by the scruff of its neck to dominate proceedings.
Aday Benitez - 5/10
Benitez hardly provided any stability up front and failed to establish himself as the focal point for Girona's attacking movements on the night. The Spaniard was substituted at half-time and looking back at his performance, he would feel that he could have done much better.
Substitutes:
Carles Planas - 5/10
Planas replaced Benitez after the restart following half-time, but offered very little threat to the Barcelona defenders who did well to keep things quiet.
Aleix Garcia - 6/10
The midfielder looked positive and was always looking for the right pass after replacing Borja Garcia just after the hour mark. Aleix Garcia can become a key player if he is entrusted with the responsibility of playing games like this at a tender age.
Douglas Luiz - 5/10
Luiz replaced Portu in the 70th minute but the game was done and dusted by that time, and he was given too little time to try and make anything happen for the visitors.
FC Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6/10
Despite conceding an early goal, ter Stegen was a mere spectator for prolonged periods in the game thanks to Barcelona's complete dominance. The German did well to deny Girona twice towards the end of the game to show the world why the Catalans pay him in the first place.
Nelson Semedo - 6/10
Semedo did not contribute a lot to the team while defending and was deployed as an extra winger who provided more width alongside Ousmane Dembele. The defender was solid going forward and added a lot of creativity to the hosts' arsenal.
Gerard Pique - 7/10
The Spaniard cruised through the majority of the game and was hardly challenged by any of the Girona attackers on the night. It seems like Pique is still recovering from a knee problem and he was replaced by Vermaelen just after the hour mark.
Samuel Umtiti - 5/10
Umtiti was at fault for letting Girona grab a surprise lead at the Nou Camp after being robbed of the ball by Portu. The Frenchman was slow to react and put himself in an uncomfortable situation that helped the visitors capitalize.
Jordi Alba - 6/10
The full-back wasn't at his marauding best for the Blaugrana and surprisingly bombed forward very rarely. He was also booked and will serve a suspension against Las Palmas next week.
Sergio Busquets - 6/10
Busquets was partly at fault for conceding that goal and would be kicking himself for uncharacteristically giving the ball away in the middle of the park. The midfielder did not put a foot wrong from there on before being replaced in the second half by Paulinho.
Ivan Rakitic - 7/10
The Croatian was a strong presence for Barcelona in midfield as he dominated the living days out of the Girona midfielders with his physicality and impressive passing range. Rakitic almost scored after a cheeky flick from a corner.
Philippe Coutinho - 8/10
Coutinho was relatively quiet in the first half before he was presented with the opportunity to cut the ball across for Suarez to score Barcelona's fourth on the night. The Brazilian earned the plaudits for a sublime strike in the second half after hitting the back of the net from distance.
Ousmane Dembele - 7/10
The Frenchman started slowly and grew into the game as it progressed steadily in favour of Barcelona. Dembele set-up Suarez for Barcelona's final goal on the night and Valverde would have been impressed with the winger's energy and sharpness.
Lionel Messi - 10/10
Messi was at his destructive best yet again for Barcelona as he netted a brace and set-up one of Suarez's three goals on the night. The Argentine produced an otherworldly performance for his side yet again and completely ran the show like he always does. A scintillating performance to say the least!
Luis Suarez - 9/10
The Uruguayan was clinical from the word go and backed up his intentions with a sublime hat-trick that helped Barcelona cruise to victory. Suarez took the match ball home but despite all that and more, Messi clearly edged him in terms of overall performance and hence the rating.
Substitutes:
Thomas Vermaelen - 6/10
The Belgian made a rare appearance from the bench after replacing Pique in the second half. Vermaelen also came ever so close to scoring after he was denied by the crossbar following a header from a Barcelona corner.
Paulinho - 5/10
Paulinho replaced Busquets in the 69th minute and could not influence the game significantly after coming on. The Brazilian entered the fray after the outcome was decided and he called it a night after a few sideways passes.
Sergi Roberto - 5/10
Roberto came on in the 77th minute to replace Rakitic and was provided with too little time and opportunity to try and make an impact on the game.
