Champions League: Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool, 5 men who won the game for Barcelona

Barcelona welcomed Liverpool to the Nou Camp on Wednesday in midst of a celebratory mood. The Catalans had just secured the LaLiga title with three games to spare and there was definitely reasons to be jovial. Barcelona were also in the Copa del Rey final, so their desires for another treble was well on course. Even among the festivities, there were concerns when facing Liverpool, who had recently emerged as one of the best teams in Europe.

Liverpool had matched Manchester City in every step in the race to the Premier League title, but were still a point behind in second with 2 games to spare. As such, the Champions League was still extremely essential for Jurgen Klopp's side, as it represented a chance at securing a silverware this season.

Valverde knew the threat that Liverpool possessed and named his team accordingly. He started with Ter Stegen in goal, with Sergio Roberto, Pique, Lenglet and Alba as the back four. In the midfield, he opted for Vidal to partner Rakitic and Busquets. The Barcelona front three consisted of two former Liverpool players - Suarez and Coutinho, who started alongside Lionel Messi.

In an end to end first half, both teams had chances to open the scoring. However, it was Barcelona who took the lead through Suarez in the 26th minute. In the second half, Liverpool tried their best to score an equalizer, but Barcelona held on with all their might. Lionel Messi double the lead in the 75th minute, before scoring the third goal of the game in the 82nd minute through a beautiful free kick. The game ended 3-0 to Barcelona and the Catalans now have a great advantage going into the second leg.

Ernesto Valverde will be mighty pleased with the performance of his team against a relentless Liverpool side. However, he will be delighted with the efforts of these 5 men, who were brilliant on the night and won the game for the Catalans.

#5 Ivan Rakitic

Barcelona v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: First Leg

The Croatian has been an integral part of the Barcelona midfield this season. Rakitic provides just the right combination of steel and poise in the middle which keeps the engine of the Catalan giants running. As such, it was only fitting that he was selected in the midfield against Liverpool.

Rakitic played a near flawless 90 minutes and quietly ensured that the Liverpool midfield never had any control on the game. The Croatian helped Busquets with the dirty work, but when he had the ball at his feet, he also tried to find his front men with long balls that split the away defense. He even had an early chance to score, but tried to thread a pass instead and was cut out.

In the dying moments of the game, Rakitic brilliantly denied Liverpool by clearing off the line helping his team secure a clean sheet.

#4 Jordi Alba

The Spanish left back is one of the best in the world in his position at the moment, but against Liverpool, Jordi Alba had a huge test of character beckoning him on the pitch. He had to pit his wits against the phenomenal Mohamed Salah, who was having quite a fruitful second season for Liverpool. The Egyptian is currently the front runner for the Premier League Golden Boot as well, so Alba had his work cut out for the night.

However, on the field, Alba dealt with Salah with ease. Even though the Egyptian threatened to break away on quite a few occasions, he had a pretty quiet first half. This was because Alba rarely allowed Salah to play his natural game. But the Spaniard was not content by just keeping Salah quiet, he regularly moved forward and caused a lot of troubles on the other end. And in the 26th minute, Alba made a defining impact on the game.

Taking the ball from Coutinho on the left side, just at the edge of the penalty area, the Spaniard anticipated Suarez’s run in the box. He carved out a gorgeous ball that split the Liverpool defense into two and enabled Suarez to give Barcelona the lead.

#3 Arturo Vidal

The Chilean was a surprise addition to the Barcelona team on the night. Arthur had been brilliant for Barcelona in the middle of the park and had successfully kept Vidal away from the starting eleve. However, Valverde felt the need for the Chilean in the middle of the park against a tenacious Liverpool side and minutes into the game, it looked like a very good decision.

Vidal was fierce on the field, fighting for every ball and refusing to allow the Liverpool midfield any time or space on the ball. His tremendous work rate caught Liverpool off guard, who could not deal with the Chilean at all. Vidal was as effective going forward as he was tracking back and perhaps covered every single blade of grass on the ground. Whenever Barcelona lost the ball, he dropped down to help his defense out, and ensured that the home side were never caught out of position.

With the ball at his feet, Vidal was decisive, dictating the tempo to suit Barcelona and playing long balls to torment Liverpool. In fact, it was from his cross field ball to Coutinho that Barcelona created the first goal.

#2 Luis Suarez

The former Liverpool player had a point to prove on the night. Suarez has been hugely successful at the Camp Nou since making the move from Anfield and has won quite a few trophies. Thus, he had an opportunity to show his former side what they were missing. In a season where Lionel Messi had taken all the accolades for the Catalans, the Uruguayan also had an opportunity to prove his worth to his team.

Suarez stated the game brightly, making clever runs and picking up good positions in the final third. His understanding with Messi was brilliant as usual, and the Uruguayan enjoyed a lot more freedom on the ground because Liverpool put all their attention on Lionel Messi. And this was where Suarez punished the away side.

When Alba received the ball from Countinho at the edge of the box, Suarez had Matip and PFA Player of the year, Virgil van Dijk, ahead of him. However, the former Reds player managed to fool both of them with a brilliant run across the defense. When the ball arrived, Suarez beautifully directing it past Alisson to score the opening goal.

#1 Lionel Messi

Before the Liverpool game, Lionel Messi had scored 46 goals from 45 games this season. Jurgen Klopp knew that for Liverpool to get anything out of the game, they had to stop the Barcelona skipper from scoring against them. And the German set his team up accordingly, crowding up Messi every time the Argentinean got the ball and trying to bully him into submission. Messi was clipped at his heels and continuously hounded throughout the game, but if Liverpool thought that their tactics had worked, they were wrong.

Messi continued to dictate the game from a deeper position. He sent in beautiful final balls on quite a few occasions and both Suarez and Vidal should have increased the lead. When his compatriots failed to take charge, the Argentinean took matters in his own hands.

After scoring brilliant goals all through the season, Messi showed his poacher’s instincts on the night. When Suarez’s shot hit the bar in the 75th minute, the Barcelona skipper was the first to react. None of the Liverpool defenders anticipated his movements and Messi was on the end of the rebound on a flash. He kept his composure and put the ball into the net. But he was far from finished.

In the 82nd minute, Fabinho, who had been kicking at Messi all game, brought him down almost 30 yards away from the Liverpool goal. Messi stepped up, dusted himself and unleashed the perfect free kick to give Barcelona a 3-0 lead. It was the perfect testament to the greatest footballer in the world and Lionel Messi was inspirational as Barcelona defeated Liverpool.

Edited by Jong Ching Yee