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Goals in each half by Jules Kounde and Ivan Rakitic gave Sevilla a comfortable 2-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of the 2020-21 Copa del Rey semi-final.
Both managers fielded their strongest teams, with a place in the final on the line.
It was Sevilla who started as the stronger of the two sides. But Lionel Messi had the first good chance of the game after he latched onto Antoine Griezmann's lofted pass into the box. Yassine Bounou, though, rushed off his line to thwart the Argentina forward with a great save.
This was to be a running theme in the game, as the Sevilla keeper made a further two fine saves off the Barcelona captain.
In the 16th minute, the home side paid tribute to late midfielder Antonio Puertas, and Jules Kounde had a shot sail narrowly wide four minutes later.
The France international was not to be denied in the 25th minute, though. He danced his way across the Barcelona midfield and defence before unleashing a well-placed shot beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The goal belied the fact that he is a defender, although questions will once again be asked about why the Blaugrana defence was so easy to breach.
Sevilla had another chance in first-half injury time when Sergio Escudero found himself in space on the edge of the box. However, his well-placed shot forced a fine save from Ter Stegen, who ensured Barcelona went into the break just a goal behind.
The visitors came off the block blazing in the second half, and Lionel Messi had the first chance after the restart. The 33-year-old had a trademark dribble across the Sevilla defence before playing a one-two with Frenkie de Jong, but Bono once again pulled off a fine stop.
With Barcelona pushing for an equaliser, Sevilla had several chances to catch them on the break. The hosts eventually punished their visitors in the 89th minute.
A long ball over the top caught out the Barcelona defence, with Samuel Umtiti fluffing his lines while trying to play Ivan Rakitic offside. The Croatian midfielder ran into the box and held his nerve to score against his former team.
The victory puts Sevilla in firm control of this tie ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou on 27 February.
On that note, here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Impressive Sevilla good value for their win
Sevilla came into this game on the back of a seven-game winning run in all competitions. Furthermore, they have lost just one of their last 17 games in all competitions, with just two draws recorded in this period.
The Andalusians have been rejuvenated under the management of Julen Lopetegui, and they once again produced a comprehensive performance against Barcelona.
A dominant display saw them control proceedings from start to finish, particularly in a one-sided first half. Despite facing some of the best forwards in the game, Sevilla did not give too much away.
Most of Barcelona's few chances came from moments of individual brilliance and set-pieces, but Sevilla had better chances in both halves.
Los Nervionenses brought their A-game to the fore against the Blaugrana, and, on the overall balance of play, they deserved their two-goal win.
#4 Back to the drawing board for Barcelona's Ronald Koeman
A recent run of six wins in all competitions had helped ease some of the pressure on Ronald Koeman at Barcelona.
Their late comeback against Granada in the quarter-final of this competition rejuvenated the squad.
Fans of the club would have been hoping they could build on that to end the season on a high. But Sevilla had different ideas though, with their impressive victory putting a halt to Barcelona's winning run.
The Copa del Rey offers Barcelona the best opportunity for a trophy this season. But Ronald Koeman has his work cut out if his side are to successfully overturn this two-goal deficit.
#3 Neto's snub could mean the end of his Barcelona career
News had filtered in during the week that Neto had sought a transfer away from Barcelona in January.
His request was blocked by Ronald Koeman, who needs his backup goalkeeper for the rest of the campaign. However, this latest snub might have solidified the Brazilian's decision to leave Camp Nou in the summer.
The 31-year-old joined the Blaugrana from Valencia in the summer of 2019, but has found himself behind Ter Stegen in the pecking order.
So far, Neto has made just 16 appearances for Barcelona in two seasons, and his lack of playing time is said to be his reason for wanting to quit Camp Nou.
After starting the season as Barcelona's goalkeeper in the Copa del Rey, Neto found himself benched in the quarter-final, as Koeman started fielding his strongest side in the competition.
The same thing happened in the Spanish Super Cup; having once again been overlooked in the Copa del Rey, Neto might have strengthened his resolve to leave Barcelona.
#2 Impressive Kounde shows his prowess at both ends
Despite playing at the centre of defence, Jules Kounde found himself in good goal-scoring positions on several occasions.
The 22-year-old has made steady gains since joining Sevilla from Bordeaux in 2019, and has continued his upward trajectory this season.
The Frenchman gave another assured display at both ends against Barcelona, although it was his performance in front of goal that was the most impressive.
He had earlier seen a shot flash narrowly wide, before putting his side ahead five minutes later.
The technique and skill required to dribble across the Barcelona defence is attributed to the best midfielders and forwards in the world. The fact that a defender pulled it off with consummate ease defies logic.
Kounde also showed his defensive prowess by pulling off a fabulous challenge to deny Frenkie de Jong a goal-scoring opportunity; the Dutch midfielder had just Bono to beat when the game was still in the balance, but couldn't do so, thanks to Kounde.
#1 Impressive Bono steps up to keep out Lionel Messi
Barcelona recorded three shots on target in the game, with all three coming from the left boot of their mercurial captain Lionel Messi.
The first of those came early in the first half after a good pass by Griezmann, but Bono made himself big to deny the diminutive Argentinian.
Two further saves came in the second half, with the last one coming in injury time, when the Morocco international dived low to his right to keep out a rasping free-kick from the Rosario native.
