Full Time: Barcelona 2-2 Celta Vigo
Barcelona’s 10-points lead at the top of the La Liga table has come under serious danger as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou earlier in the day. Ernesto Valverde went with a full strength squad, but a spirited display from the visitors allowed them to come back from 2-1 to steal a point off of the league leaders.
The home side lacked urgency on the night and goals from Iago Aspas and Lionel Messi saw the teams go into the break on level terms. Luis Suarez secured a 2-1 lead but Maxi Gomez equalised not long later to make sure Celta were the first team to take points away from Camp Nou this season.
Here’s how the Barcelona players performed on the night:
Barcelona Player Ratings
Marc Andre ter Stegen (6)
Made a couple of superb saves and was unlucky to have conceded twice on a night where he was left with far too much to deal with.
Sergi Roberto (7)
Was probably the best defender for his side on the night as he had an influence at both ends of the field, creating chances and winning the ball early.
Gerard Pique (6)
Made just one tackle all game and looked far from his best, coming back from an injury.
Samuel Umtiti (5)
Could have dealt with the danger in the build up to the first goal and was also caught out of position too frequently for Barca’s liking.
Jordi Alba (7)
A solid performance from the Spaniard, who created the goal for Suarez and was always available in the attack. Made a couple of important interceptions as well, and helped his side stay on the front foot.
Sergio Busquets (6)
Won back the ball a fair number of times but was unusually slow in turnover of possession, which cost his side at times in the middle of the pitch.
Ivan Rakitic (6)
Did a decent job, keeping the ball rolling in the midfield but was dispossessed easily on a couple of occasions. An evening where he was inconsistent.
Andres Iniesta (6)
Created just one chance all game but was a constant menace, just outside the box and played a role in the build-up to both goals.
Paulinho (7)
Picked up the assist for Messi’s goal in the first half and was ever present in the attack, helping Barcelona pile the pressure on the visitors.
Lionel Messi (8)
A master class from the magician, who scored the opener with a solid finish and played the ball that broke Celta in the build up to the second goal.
Luis Suarez (7)
Picked up an early yellow card that gave him little room for antics but stuck to his task and scored when needed, giving Barca a 2-1 lead.
Substitutes:
Denis Suarez (6)
Came on for Iniesta with more than half an hour to play but failed to have enough impact to win the game for his team.
Thomas Vermaelen (5)
Came on for Umtiti with just around 20 minutes to go but was far from secure. Was involved in a couple of nervous moments.
Paco Alacacer (5)
Came on too late to have any kind of an effect on the game.