Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6/10
The German shot stopper looked really solid in the first half but was exposed quite a few times in the second, especially with his positioning. It was a game where his team needed him at his very best to shut out his opponents, alas, he didn't exactly rise to the occasion.
Sergi Roberto: 6/10
Roberto showed Nani too much respect by allowing him to run at him almost at will. The youngster could've been a lot tighter to the Portuguese winger who loves to have some space around him. It was a below par game for the visitors' right-back.
Javier Mascherano: 7/10
The Barcelona stalwart was Rodrigo's Achilles heel for most of the game. The Argentine brought his experience into play when he dealt with the tricky centre-forward who lacked the finishing punch. But he did slip up once, which allowed Valencia to get their noses in front.
Samuel Umtiti: 7/10
The French youngster has been a revelation for Barcelona this season and he proved it today with yet another commanding performance. He swept Barca's area in and around penalty box with surprising efficiency. The defender was also very diligent with his ball distribution from the back.
Lucas Digne: 5/10
The Frenchman was left reeling in the first half by Cancelo's guile and pace. He did salvage some pride in the second half but was fairly ineffective against Munir as well. His lack of pace and poor tactical positioning undid him against some smart Valencia's wide men.
Andre Gomes: 6/10
The former Mestalla talisman had a fairly rough game. He wasn't shown an inch of love by Valencia’s fans nor by his former teammates. He was too easily bullied off the ball and his offensive contribution was limited. Despite creating a couple of promising chances, he failed to impose himself on this game.
Sergi Busquets: 7/10
The Spanish midfielder was having a hard time in dealing with Mario Suarez and Daniel Parejo for most of the game. But despite this, he kept Barca's juggernaut ticking albeit with some forced interruptions.
Andres Iniesta: 6/10
The show got over even before the magician could begin his act. Iniesta was struggling to find his feet in the match and as soon as he began to tick his game, he had to leave due to an injury which will see him on the sidelines for a few months
Lionel Messi: 9/10
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Messi rose to the occasion with a splendid performance in Valencia. Be it is creativity or his ability to draw fouls from the opposition, Valencia's defence always looked a step behind him. He didn't put a single foot wrong and was at his sparkling best.
Luis Suarez: 8/10
The Uruguayan was a bit wasteful in the first half as he squandered three clear cut chances, but he was a constant nuisance with his movement and creativity. He did score a peach of a goal from a set-piece and earned the winning penalty, but he could've ran riot if he had his shooting boots on.
Neymar: 7/10
The Brazilian's performance today was all style but lacked substance. He was effectively negated by Cancelo in the second half, where he looked like a pale shadow of himself. The only time he looked lethal was during a one-on-one situation in the first half against Montoya. Neymar should've done a lot better against a Valencia defence which was nervy.
Substitutes
Ivan Rakitic: 7/10
The Croatian brought on a different dimension to this Barca attack with his more direct approach. He was more comfortable against the press of Perez and Suarez in comparison to Iniesta.
Denis Suarez: 6/10
It was a good cameo by the La Masia wonder kid as he bullied Los Che's burly defenders especially Mangala and Enzo Perez. He needs to work a lot more if he ever intends to nail a starting spot in this Barca XI.
