Barcelona opened their La Liga title defence with a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening.

Lionel Messi missed a first-half penalty for the visitors, but a Luis Suarez volley early in the second period proved enough for the Catalan outfit to claim all the points.

Bilbao have now lost each of their last four league games against Barcelona.

Here, Sports Mole has taken a closer look at how each player performed at San Mames.

BILBAO

Goal

Gorka Iraizoz: Made a super save to deny Messi from the penalty spot and cannot be blamed for the only goal of the match. One of the finest goalkeepers in Spain's top flight. (7/10)

Defence

Oscar de Marcos: Still not entirely convincing as a defender and did not make his mark going forward. Nothing much wrong, but no real impact in a wide position. (6/10)

Aymeric Laporte: Further enhanced his growing reputation with a strong performance at the back. Helped keep Messi and Suarez quiet for long spells of the contest. (7/10)

Gorka Elustondo: Conceded one penalty and was fortunate not to concede another. Made some excellent blocks, but was a little rash on his league debut for the Basque side. (6/10)

Mikel Balenziaga: Had a solid first period as he helped keep Barcelona in check, but was forced off with an injury just five minutes into the second half. (6/10)

Midfield

Benat: Was excellent in both legs of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona, but did not have a similar impact here. Found it difficult to thread a pass in the final third. (6/10)

Mikel Rico: Was a surprise starter after his recent injury troubles and the Spaniard struggled to get into the match during his 63 minutes on the field. (6/10)

Sabin Merino: Started the game really well as he saw plenty of the ball in a central position, but faded as play developed and was replaced alongside Rico just past the hour. (6/10)

Attack

Markel Susaeta: Had a couple of long-range attempts and was prepared to support his lone striker, but the Spaniard's overall quality from a wide position was disappointing. (6/10)

Aritz Aduriz: Absolutely terrorised Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and while he caused the away side problems here, the striker did not have many opportunities to find the back of the net. (6/10)

Javier Eraso: Showed nice ability in possession of the ball and was prepared to cut inside, but it just did not happen for the Spaniard in terms of an end product. (6/10)

Substitutes

Eneko Boveda: Did well to pick up the pace of the match after slotting into central defence early in the second period. Won a number of crucial headers in the second half. (6/10)

Carlos Gurpegi: Entered in the 63rd minute and was involved in an interesting physical battle with Suarez. Brought a calmness to the home side when needed. (6/10)

Ibai Gomez: Had a super chance to level late on, but fired over the crossbar from inside the box. Caused problems with his pace and movement in a wide area. (6/10)

BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Had his slippers on for long spells of the match. Made a couple of strong catches late on, but did not have to do much to keep another clean sheet for Barcelona. (6/10)

Defence

Dani Alves: Only lasted 19 minutes of the match after picking up a groin injury. Could now face a couple of weeks on the sidelines for the Catalan outfit. (6/10)

Javier Mascherano: Kept Barcelona ticking over from central defence on what was another confident performance. Finished the match in central midfield after Sergio Busquets's injury. (7/10)

Thomas Vermaelen: Needed to be strong against Aduriz and that was indeed the case. Prepared to battle for every high ball and was also neat and tidy in possession. (7/10)

Jordi Alba: Did well to last 90 minutes following his recent spell on the sidelines and made a strong contribution to the result - setting up Suarez's goal with a super cross. (7/10)

Midfield

Andres Iniesta: Was criticised for some below-par performances last season, but had a strong game in the middle of the park. Used the ball so intelligently in the second period. (7/10)

Ivan Rakitic: Rightly now regarded as one of Barcelona's most important players, but the Croatian was far from his best here. More solid than spectacular at San Mames. (6/10)

Sergio Busquets: Took a while to make his influence known, but his impressive second half was cut short in the 68th minute when he left the field with an injury. (7/10)

Attack

Rafinha: Was neat and tidy in the final third of the field, but struggled to make a serious impact and was replaced by Sandro Ramirez for the final eight minutes. (6/10)

Luis Suarez: Won Barcelona's first-half penalty and proved the match-winner with a super volley in the second period. So important for the Catalan outfit. (7/10)

Lionel Messi: Guilty of missing from the penalty spot in the first period on what was an under-par performance from the Argentine. Still struggling for full match sharpness. (6/10)

Substitutes

Sergi Roberto: Replaced Alves at right-back in the 19th minute and put in a man-of-the-match performance. Was excellent in a wide area as he caused a whole host of problems. (8/10)

Marc Bartra: Would have been disappointed not to start due to Gerard Pique's absence, but was solid enough after replacing Busquets for the final 20 minutes of action. (6/10)

Sandro Ramirez: Was only given the final eight minutes to make an impression, but his pace and dribbling were vital weapons for Barcelona late on. (6/10)