Barcelona moved top of the La Liga table with a 2-1 win over Almeria on Saturday afternoon.

It was far from straight-forward, with Almeria leading until the 73rd minute courtesy of Thievy Bifouma.

The visitors responded late on, however, with goals from Neymar and Jordi Alba securing all the points.

Here, Sports Mole analyses how each individual player performed during the entertaining affair.

ALMERIA

Goal

Ruben: Was really unlucky with Barcelona's second and made some smart stops, especially in the second period. Was a shade unfortunate to be on the losing side. (6/10)

Defence

Ximo Navarro: Did his best to prevent Neymar from scoring Barca's first, but could not keep the ball out. Had a decent afternoon without pulling up too many trees. (6/10)

Angel Trujillo: Frustrated Lionel Messi for long spells of the contest and looked calm in possession of the ball. A strong afternoon for the centre-back. (7/10)

Fran Velez: Came close to opening the scoring in the early exchanges, but saw his powerful header just drift high of the crossbar. A solid display. (7/10)

Sebastian Dubarbier: Did his best to cause problems down the other end, but was guilty of losing possession too easily in the Barcelona half. (6/10)

Midfield

Verza: Spent the majority of the match helping out his full-back, rather than showing his quality down the other end. Needed to show more invention. (6/10)

Ramon Azeez: Might have had a penalty in the first period after going down under a challenge from Marc Bartra. Was full of energy in the middle of the park. (7/10)

Thomas Partey: Picked up a clumsy booking in the first period and did not really feature after that. Was replaced late on by Wellington Silva. (6/10)

Fernando Soriano: Set up his side's goal with a brilliant pass into Thievy. Led by example in the middle of the park and helped control Barca's stream of attacks. (7/10)

Attack

Jonathan Zongo: Needs to improve his final product, but gave the Barca back four nightmares in the first period. Faded a little in the second 45 minutes. (7/10)

Thievy Bifouma: Deserved his goal after causing Barca all sorts of problems in the first hour or so. Looked extremely bright alongside Zongo. (7/10)

Substitutes

Tomer Hemed: Introduced to provide a different threat in the final third, but did not have enough service. Needed more from those around him. (6/10)

Edgar Mendez: Replaced Thievy after 77 minutes, but could not prevent his side from conceding a second goal little over five minutes from time. (6/10)

Wellington Silva: Only given five minutes and therefore did not have time to make his mark. (6/10)

BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Was left horribly exposed by his defence for the Almeria goal, but had little to do aside from picking the ball out of his own net. (6/10)

Defence

Adriano: Was a surprise starter ahead of Dani Alves and did not really make his mark. Went forward on a number of occasions, but lacked that final ball. (6/10)

Marc Bartra: A shade fortunate not to concede a first-half penalty and was out-paced by Thievy for the Almeria goal. Did not look overly comfortable. (6/10)

Javier Mascherano: Steadiest member of his defence once again. Made a number of brilliant blocks in the first period and helped his team build from the back. (7/10)

Jordi Alba: Consistently arrived in the Almeria box and got his reward with a goal late on. Much more productive than Adriano on the opposite side. (7/10)

Midfield

Sergio Busquets: Another that has struggled for form this season. Protected his back four for the most part, but was a little untidy in possession of the ball. (6/10)

Rafinha: Has been given chances to shine in recent matches, but has thus far not made much of an impression. Drifted in and out of the match. (6/10)

Ivan Rakitic: Made a really strong start to the season, but has struggled in recent weeks. Gave the ball away too much and looked short of confidence. (5/10)

Attack

Munir El-Haddadi: Had some bright moments in the final third, but spent much of the first period out on the wing before departing at the interval. (5/10)

Lionel Messi: Had three golden chances, but headed two against the crossbar before bringing a smart save from the Almeria stopper. A constant threat. (7/10)

Pedro: Really struggled to make his mark. Given the chance to impress ahead of Neymar and Suarez, but was withdrawn at the break following an ineffective first period. (4/10)

Substitutes

Neymar: Immediately brought more energy to the Barca attack and started his side's comeback with a close-range finish after 73 minutes. (7/10)

Luis Suarez: Still waiting for his first Barca goal, but provided both assists from the bench this afternoon. Also hit the crossbar with a rasping effort. (8/10)

Xavi: Brought more control to the middle of the park after entering midway through the second period. (6/10)