Who was the best performer last night? Find out what we think.

GOALSCORERS:

FC Barcelona: Messi(42′), Messi(66′)

UD Almeria: Cisma(12′), Puyol(OG)(56′)

LINEUPS:

FC Barcelona:

Valdes, 6.0 – Made a couple of good saves and a one-on-one, but failed to organize the back four.

Alves, 6.0 – Was lucky not to get booked for diving in the second half. By no means his marauding self on the wing.

Puyol, 5.5 – The resilient captain was simply not his usual self against Almeria, conceding both goals as he lost the challenge on the first goal and put the ball past Valdes for the second goal.

Milito, 6.5 – Lost a lot of the fifty-fifty challenges and looked exposed quite often in the back four, but he was still the best defender on the night for Barca.

Maxwell, 6.5 – Was looking rather hapless in the final third of the pitch, but has to be given credit for his defending.

Xavi, 7.0 – His playmaking skill was hindered by the fact that for two-thirds of the game, he was assigned to come deep for the ball and not to look for the final exquisite pass. Other than that, he is still the main reason why FC Barcelona managed to retain 70% ball possession.

Toure, 6.0 – Played as a defensive midfielder, and covered his position well, but was lacking the extra punch in form of a cannon ball or two, or more incisive passes.

Iniesta, 6.5 – He is the perfect partner for Xavi in the midfield, but unfortunately spent a lot of time on the left wing, so his plays seemed a bit unnatural for him.

Pedro, 6.5 – Wasted a very clear-cut chance that he usually takes, in the first half, and with no space given by the Almeria players, his influence on the right wing was limited, which exposed his lack of creativity.

Ibrahimovic, 5.0 – His points are given only by assisting Messi for the first goal by receiving the foul. He was looking to regain his previous form, until he was sent off after a debatable decision from the referee.

Messi, 8.5 – Scored both goals, and was looking very hungry in front of the goal for the third decisive goal. Performed better as a playmaker, than while on the wing.

Substitutes

Busquets, 6.0 – Provided a lot of incisive passes after he came on, although it was too late.

Almeria:

Diego Alves, 7.0 – With strings of saves, including denying Messi for the hat-trick, he certainly hit top form.

Juanma Ortiz, 6.0 – A quiet performance from the fullback, without any major faults.

Chico, 7.5 – Frustrating Xavi in the first encounter, he did another good job today by marking Ibrahimovic, and managed to get the striker to unleash a form of frustration which earned him a sending off.

Hernan Pellerano, 7.0 – Exploited the fact that Barcelona plays with a lone striker up front, he and Chico marked Ibrahimovic side by side.

Cisma, 7.0- The match’s goal opener, did well in defense and in beating Puyol for the goal.

Hernan Bernardello, 6.5- Provided cover for the rest of Almeria defenders, especially when there was a lot of sporadic activity inside Almeria’s penalty box.

Modeste M’Bami, 7.0 – Provided bursts of energy and a constant thorn in the side for Barcelona.

Fernando Soriano, 5.5 – Captain for the spirited Almeria side, but his failure to convert Almeria’s first chance of the game will not work wonders for his confidence.

Guilherme, 7.5 – Very good and energetic performance from him, as he managed to physically keep Pedro out of the game for long stretches. Provided the cross which eventually led to Puyol’s own goal.

Pablo Piatti, 5.0 – Noted for his harsh reactions to the keeper and his mediocre performance, unable to exploit his side’s advantage.

Albert Crusat, 5.5 – Looking to add more goals to his tally, it just wasn’t his day today.

Substitutes

Henok Goitom, 6.5 – Gives a physical presence to the Almeria side and could have netted a winning goal.

Kalu Uche – N/A

Jose Ortiz – N/A