Guaita
97
26
Pulled off a couple of decent saves when Barcelona were probing for an equaliser and did very well to pounce at the feet of Lionel Messi to grab the ball when the Argentine was through on goal. Will be disappointed at letting Pedro score at his near post for the first goal but a good performance all round.
Adil Rami
150
20
Solidly dealt with Messi throughout the match. Was aggressive without conceding fouls against the tricky Barcelona attacker. Did well to keep up with the pace of Messi on a couple of occasions and made vital interceptions.
Jordi Alba
98
23
Was part of the dynamic duo down the left hand side. Defended pretty well although Leo Messi did wander inside very often. Kept Dani Alves anonymous in an attacking sense and his interceptions left the Brazilian out of position a lot of the time.
Víctor Ruiz Torre
90
23
Is forming an effective partnership with Rami in the centre of defence and communicated well with his partner. Covered well for his team-mate whenever he had to keep an eye on Messi.
Jérémy Mathieu
Top of the Match342
35
Superb performance from the Frenchman. Showed brilliant pace and desire down the left hand hand side to grab himself two assists. His service into the box for his team-mates was top drawer and was also a great help to Jordi Alba at left back with his tracking into his own territory.
Miguel Brito
81
24
Was caught on his heels for Pedro's equaliser in the first half but this acted as a warning sign for the Portuguese, who effectively marshalled the Barcelona player for the rest of his time on the pitch, and also managed keep David Villa from making an impact after his introduction.
Albelda
102
15
The defensive midfielder rolled back the years with this performance and summed up Valencia with his determination and grit in midfield. Picked the pocket of Barca players time and time again but unfortunately had to be withdrawn at half time after falling awkwardly in the first half.
Ever Banega
244
15
Showed his pedigree in midfield and made sure Valencia played Barcelona at their own game. Ran the midfield especially in the first half and picked out impressive passes to his team-mates on the wings.
Canales
135
28
Performed well enough by linking the midfield and strikeforce and pulled off some lovely passes in the first half especially. However, lacked any dynamic dribbling or that defence splitting pass that should be expected from the young maestro.
Pablo Hernández
129
20
Buzzed around well and was a thorn in the side of Barcelona. Took his goal expertly and even chipped in by getting back to help out Miguel at right-back.
Roberto Soldado
74
71
Did not manage to get himself a goal but his movement was a constant worry for Barcelona's defenders. His sharp runs in the box helped to create a lot of room for his team-mates, but will rue his incredible miss from just two yards out in the first half.
• Substitutions
Tino Costa
73
21
Lacked the bite of Albelda in midfield but was neat in his passing and continued Valencia's intense pressing in midfield.
Jonas
56
30
Struggled to adapt to the pace of the game after his introduction and misplaced a few passes.
Pablo Piatti
77
28
Was brought on late into the game and only managed a few touches.
Víctor Valdés
81
130
Had no chance for Valencia's opening goal and found himself dreadfully exposed with the second. Was solid in goal but communication could have been better with his defenders.
Carles Puyol
112
122
The Barcelona captain still does not look back to his best and was caught out of position a few times. Will always be crucial on the park with his leadership but perhaps needs a few more games under his belt to get his touch back.
Éric Abidal
101
243
Was out of touch with the rest of defenders and ventured in-field to the centre-back position too much. Left Pablo with acres of room to pick his spot for Valencia's second goal.
Daniel Alves
Flop of the Match152
339
A poor performance from the Brazilian. His game is to venture forward on the overlap and did this without retreating quick enough. Was caught out of position so many times and Valencia did well to expose the space, with Mathieu grabbing two assists with crosses from Alves' position.
Javier Mascherano
239
93
Valencia would have scored more goals if it wasn't for the Argentine. Constantly mopped up in and around the penalty area and was often covering for his team-mates who had rashly moved out of position.
Sergio Busquets Burgos
71
183
Not the best performance from the anchorman tonight. Was uncharacteristically sloppy in his passing and gave the ball away too much. Also did not act as an effective shield for his defence and was overrun at times.
Seydou Keita
65
165
Was awarded very little time on the ball by the Valencia midfielders and this caused him to lose possession at times. Did not offer much going forward but got into the game in the second half and helped to win the ball back.
Xavi
170
107
Neat without being dynamic this evening. The Barca vice captains will always keep possession for his team and does not often do anything wrong, which was the case. However, his performance lacked the sublime defence splitting passes he is known for.
Cesc Fàbregas
388
74
Took his goal like a seasoned striker but arguably his weakest performance in a Barcelona shirt. Took a long time to get into the game and was failing to link up with the other attackers. However, the one move he created with Messi was beautiful and Barca managed to grab a goal from it.
Lionel Messi
446
190
Two lovely assists for the Argentine and although he was fairly well marshalled throughout the first half by the Valencia defenders, his class still shone and upped his game in the second-half. Acted as the catalyst to get Barcelona back into the match.
Pedro
145
104
Took his goal well and looked sharp in his touches and dribbling. However did not really get into the game after his strike and was often outnumbered and outfought in the final third by Valencia defenders. Was brought off just before the hour mark for Villa.
• Substitutions
Adriano
118
112
Substituted into the match to plug some holes in the Barca defence and was solid.
Thiago Alcántara
142
98
Youngster brought on for Puyol as Barca pushed for the equaliser but was too forceful in his play and lost the ball more than once.
David Villa
81
175
Introduced on the hour mark but could not get to grips with the match and squandered glorious chance in the dying moments to silence his former club.
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