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La Liga
Nov 22, 2014 at 7pm UK
 
SL

5-1

Messi (21', 72', 78'), Neymar (49'), Rakitic (65')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Alba (47' og.)

Player Ratings: Barcelona 5-1 Sevilla

:Headline: Player Ratings: Barcelona 5-1 Sevilla: ID:189592: from db_amp
Sports Mole gauges how the players performed in Barcelona's 5-1 demolition of Sevilla at Camp Nou on a record-breaking night for Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi broke Telmo Zarra's all-time La Liga record of 251 goals by scoring three times in Barcelona's 5-1 win over Sevilla at Camp Nou tonight.

The Argentine equalled the record with a fine free kick in the first half, before breaking it by adding a further two in a ruthless second-half display from the Catalonians.

Neymar and Luis Suarez also impressed for Luis Enrique's side, with the Brazilian grabbing a goal and two assists.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who can join Messi in drawing positive memories from tonight's clash.



BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Quite literally did not have a shot to save all night, but was perhaps culpable in the build-up to Jordi Alba's own goal just after the break. (6/10)

Defence

Dani Alves: Beaten far too easily by Vitolo leading up to Alba's own goal after the restart, but got forward very well and fizzed a number of dangerous balls into Sevilla's box. (6/10)

Gerard Pique: Like Alves, produced questionable defending in the attack which led to Sevilla's goal, allowing Vitolo to ghost past him before sending the cross into the danger zone. Had very little to do other than that. (5/10)

Jeremy Mathieu: Better than his centre-half partner on the night, snuffing out a number of through balls to keep danger man Carlos Bacca relatively quiet throughout. (6/10)

Jordi Alba: Unfortunate to score the own goal, but got forward extremely well and his pace gave right-back Coke all sorts of problems in both halves. Would have scored if not for Daniel Carrico's fantastic clearance on the stroke of half time, too. (6/10)

Midfield

Sergio Busquets: Shielded his defence well but was not tested anywhere near as much as he might have expected prior to kickoff. (6/10)

Xavi: Orchestrated a number of attacks and bagged an assist for Neymar's goal with a perfectly-weighted free kick. At 34, Barcelona must consider long-term replacements shortly. Good luck. (7/10)

Ivan Rakitic: Scored the goal that established daylight in the scoreline for the first time, and offered a touch of class by refusing to celebrate against his former club. Lively throughout. (7/10)

Attack

Luis Suarez: The Uruguayan may not have bagged his first goal, but Suarez played a big role in the victory, creating a host of chances for his teammates - including setting up the crucial third goal with a fine assist for Ivan Rakitic. (8/10)

Neymar: Scored with a glancing header and set up Messi's final two goals. Fine performance from the Brazilian, who coped well with Sevilla's physicality in the first half. (8/10)

Lionel Messi: There is very little left to say about the Argentine, who put speculation over his future to one side to score another hat-trick and break a 50-year-old goalscoring record in La Liga. Unstoppable at times. (9/10)

Substitutes

Pedro: Replaced Luis Suarez on 73 minutes but, despite having plenty of time to get into the game, never really did. (5/10)

Rafinha: Perhaps guilty of playing one or two Hollywood balls, the type that Xavi - who he replaced - makes look effortless. (5/10)

Adriano: Only had six or seven minutes of game time in a period when the result had been determined. Very little to do. (5/10)



SEVILLA

Goal

Beto: Looked slightly suspect for the free kick that Messi scored from, but could do very little about the other four goals. Had little to do in the first half thanks to the defenders in front of him. (5/10)

Defence

Coke: Extremely lucky not to be sent off after obstructing Neymar when he was already booked. Struggled with the overlapping Jordi Alba. (4/10)

Daniel Carrico: One or two crucial clearances in the first half to maintain the one-goal deficit. The final score is not a reflection on him. (6/10)

Nicolas Pareja: Big reason as to why Barca boasted just the one goal at the break, but struggled to maintain that solidity in the second half. (5/10)

Diogo Figueiras: Endured a torrid first half against the lively Luis Suarez, but slowly grew into the game and Barcelona found themselves switching their point of attack. (6/10)

Midfield

Grzegorz Krychowiak: Overall, he showed why he is so highly rated but he was at fault for the first goal by not jumping up to block Messi's free kick. Costly decision by the big Pole. (6/10)

Ever Banega: Conceded the free kick that led to the first goal, which earned him a yellow card, but the warning did little to curb his disciplinary issues and the Argentine was lucky to last the 90 minutes. (5/10)

Aleix Vidal: Had very little impact and should have been booked for diving following a mild collision with Luis Suarez. Subbed on the hour mark for Gerard Deulofeu. (4/10)

Vitolo: Got through plenty of defensive work in the first half and then fizzed in the cross that led to Sevilla's equaliser. By no means the worst player for the visitors. (6/10)

Denis Suarez: On loan at Sevilla from Barcelona, the youngster did little to make the Catalans regret allowing him to play against them. Never really got into the game at all. (5/10)

Attack

Carlos Bacca: Billed as one of Sevilla's danger men tonight, but the Colombian never got into the game at all, negated by Pique and Mathieu throughout. (4/10)

Substitutes

Kevin Gameiro: Replaced the disappointing Denis Suarez, but offered very little in the final third. Largely anonymous throughout his 20-minute cameo. (4/10)

Gerard Deulofeu: Sevilla's attack initially brightened up when he was brought on but, like Suarez, the Barcelona loanee did not make his parent club rue their decision to let him play. (5/10)

Iago Aspas: Replaced Carlos Bacca with 17 minutes left, but ran into the same problems as his predecessor. (4/10)


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