Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win over Sevilla at the Nou Camp to keep the pressure on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in acrobatic style, before Lionel Messi scored a brace on his return to the side to make sure of the three points.
The victory did see Barcelona temporarily go top of the table, but Real's win at Leganes later on Wednesday evening saw Los Blancos go top of the summit.
Also Read: La Liga 2016/17: Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla - 5 Talking Points
Let's take a look at the player ratings from the La Liga encounter between FC Barcelona and Sevilla:
Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 7/10
The German was a mere spectator for most of the match, but made a vital save in the first half from Steven N’Zonzi that gave his side a platform to go on to take the three points.
Sergi Roberto: 7/10
Having had a difficult initiation to first-team life, the Barca system now seems to be getting the best out of Sergio Roberto. With no defensive help in front of him, Sergi Roberto could attack at will, and is very useful on the overlap.
Samuel Umtiti: 6/10
The Frenchman has been Barcelona’s lucky charm this season. Their win record when Umtiti is in the side remarkable. Umtiti have more testing evenings that’s for sure, but his calmness on the ball is a real asset to the Barca backline.
Javier Mascherano: 7/10
No player made more tackles than Mascherano on the pitch. Joaquin Correa did cause some problems with his pace, but the Argentine used all his experience to marshal him well.
Gerard Pique: 7/10
Again, not an overly difficult evening for the Barcelona defender, and in the second half Pique ended up attacking, getting forward at will. No player made more clearances than the former Manchester United man.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
Busquets made more aerial duels than any other player on the pitch, while he regained possession on five occasions. Sevilla’s ineptitude in midfield made Busquets’ life very easy indeed.
Ivan Rakitic: 6/10
The Croatian put in a fine display against his former club, without ever really hitting top gear. He should have done better with a second half effort, but blazed well over the top.
Andres Iniesta: 8/10
Majestic, as ever. Some of Iniesta’s passing was out of this world. In the first half, with Barca running riot, Iniesta completed 49 out of 50 passes attempted. He still makes Barcelona tick. Messi looks like a better player with the Spanish midfielder alongside him.
Lionel Messi: 9/10
12 goals in his last eight appearances against Sevilla – Los Nervionenses must be sick of the sight of the superb Argentine. Both his finishes were top class in their own individual way. He was a menace all night, looking at home alongside Suarez and Neymar once more.
Neymar: 8/10
The Brazilian has struggled for goals this season, but his all-round contribution has not diminished. The burst of pace before laying the ball across for Barca’s second was superb. No player made more crosses in the 90 minutes than Neymar.
Luis Suarez: 8/10
That is five in five for Suarez now. His finish for the first goal was absolutely superb, and he was unselfish to set up Lionel Messi for Barca’s second. He did very little else, making only 34 touches, but that doesn’t matter when he is this effective.
Substitutions
Paco Alcacer: 6/10
The 23-year-old looked to have got on the scoresheet but was denied by a fine save.
Carles Alena: 6/10
The teenage midfielder looked lively in his brief cameo.
Lucas Digne: 6/10
The Frenchman had no time to make an impression.
Sevilla
Sergio Rico: 6/10
The Sevilla keeper could have kept out Barca’s second but, otherwise, Rico was pretty powerless to halt the hosts. His save in the second half from Alcacer was top drawer, but his distribution was really poor all evening. He looks a shadow of his normal self at the moment.
Mariano: 5/10
Only two players finished the game having given the ball away more often than Mariano. Granted he was up against Neymar, but the Brazilian did not enjoy the best of evenings in the Nou Camp. Neymar certainly got the better of his compatriot.
Gabriel Mercado: 5/10
Like Mariano, Mercado simply couldn’t handle Neymar. He made only 20 touches all game, spending most of the match chasing shadows. Neymar just had too many tricks for him.
Nico Pareja: 5/10
Normally so dependable, Pareja’s header that allowed Messi to volley in Barca’s third was poor. He did complete more clearances than any other man in white, and also made some timely interceptions, but he endured a difficult evening overall.
Clement Lenglet: 6/10
Sevilla’s best defender, no other Sevilla player made more tackles, more interceptions and more blocks than the young Frenchman. But with Messi and co in this mood, he had no hope of containing the strike triumvirate.
Sergio Escudero: 5/10
Asked to fulfil a more defensive role than normal, Escudero looked subdued and contributed very little. In fact, lost possession more than any other player on the pitch and gave the ball away 20 times in the Nou Camp.
Steven N’Zonzi: 5/10
Having been one of La Liga’s best players this season, the former Stoke man looked distinctly average as Iniesta dictated the player. His miss early on proved pivotal. The effort bore all the hallmarks of a man low on confidence.
Samir Nasri: 4/10
Totally ineffective. Having made just 26 passes before being withdrawn, Nasri offered very little as an attacking threat. One excellent cross onto the head of Vitolo is all the Frenchman had to show for his efforts.
Vincente Iborra: 4/10
The skipper looked out of his depth. A passing accuracy of just under 68 percent shows just how inept Iborra was. His tackles were late, while his positioning left much to be desired as Barcelona easily cut through the heart of the Sevilla midfield.
Vitolo: 3/10
Should have at least hit the target with a header in the first half. Otherwise, he was ill-disciplined, needlessly getting himself sent off late on, while looking a shadow of his tricky self that has been so impressive this season.
Joaquin Correa: 5/10
Gets a slightly higher rating than some of his team-mates as he at least tried to take the attack to Barcelona in the second half. Was starved of service for most of the match.
Substitutions
Matias Kranevitter: 6/10
The Argentine actually got involved, and finished the game with a high pass completion rate.
Pablo Sarabia: 6/10
Took the fight to Barcelona in the second half, but should have done better with two chances.
Stevan Jovetic: 5/10
Jovetic had a couple of opportunities to test ter Stegen, but his finishing was well off the mark.
