Barcelona's unbeaten start to the season was stretched to seven games this afternoon as they eased to a 2-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring for the visitors 10 minutes before the break, while Neymar added a second just 78 seconds later.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during an entertaining encounter in Madrid.

RAYO

Goal

Tono: Could do nothing about either goal and, despite conceding twice, actually had a good game. Made a particularly good stop to deny Messi in the first half. (7/10)

Defence

Tito: Struggled at times as Barcelona got plenty of joy down his flank. Mathieu and Neymar both found lots of space, although that was largely down to the tactics employed by Paco Jemez. (5/10)

Abdoulaye Ba: Taken off at half time having been caught out by a number of balls over the top. Was booked for a terrible challenge on Messi having been caught in possession by Neymar. (5/10)

Morcillo: Was sent off on the hour mark having picked up a second yellow card and struggled to deal with runners from deep. (5/10)

Emiliano Insua: Had a solid game on the whole, but was caught out of position for Neymar's goal. (6/10)

Midfield

Roberto Trashorras: Struggled at times against a dominant Barcelona midfield, but kept things ticking over when his side were in possession. (6/10)

Raul Baena: Like Trashorras, was outclassed by the opposition midfield, but still worked hard and played his part in a decent all-round team performance. (6/10)

Lica: Taken off at half time following an opening 45 minutes in which he had very little impact on the match. (5/10)

Alberto Bueno: Was his side's most dangerous player, getting into the box on a few occasions. Never made the most of his good positions, though. (6/10)

Gael Kakuta: Showed a few glimpses of his skill and trickery, while his pace was also a useful outlet. Didn't get too many chances to shine against a strong Barca defence, though. (6/10)

Attack

Leo Baptistao: Was kept quiet for the vast majority of the match, but did have a couple of openings, including one shot that needed a very good save to keep it out. (6/10)

Substitutes

Manucho: Came on at half time to give his side more of a physical presence up front, but failed to really affect the game. (6/10)

Javier Aquino: Made a bit of a difference during his 45 minutes on the field, giving his side more of a threat going forward. The match ended on a sour note, however, as he was somewhat harshly sent off for a second yellow late on. (5/10)

Jozabed: Came on for the final 15 minutes but could not alter the course of the game as Barcelona began to dominate. (6/10)

BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Made a couple of superb saves to keep his clean sheet record alive and looks like the perfect man to tend Barcelona's goal. (8/10)

Defence

Dani Alves: Had a fairly quiet game by his usual standards, with the bulk of Barcelona's attacks coming down the opposite flank. (6/10)

Gerard Pique: Was strong at the back all game and also sparked numerous attacks with lofted through-balls forward. Got the assist for the opening goal. (8/10)

Marc Bartra: Solid display as he helped his side to yet another clean sheet. Never seemed to be too troubled by the Rayo attack. (7/10)

Jeremy Mathieu: Moved to left-back, and thrived in his new position. Was up and down the flank all game and contributed both defensively and going forward. (8/10)

Midfield

Xavi: Kept things ticking over as usual in midfield. Came close with a free kick and also played a few incisive passes in the final third to create chances. (7/10)

Andres Iniesta: Helped his side control the middle of the park throughout, and threatened on a few occasions himself. (7/10)

Sergio Busquets: Did the dirty work well, protecting the defence and breaking up Rayo attacks in midfield. (7/10)

Attack

Munir Al-Haddadi: Missed a glorious opportunity to set up Neymar for a certain goal, but did provide the assist for the Brazilian earlier in the match. He made the wrong decisions on a couple of occasions, but still looked bright throughout. (7/10)

Lionel Messi: Had the chances to break Zarra's record, but was unusually wasteful in front of goal. Even so, he was a constant danger and took his goal superbly. (8/10)

Neymar: Took his goal really well, finding the bottom corner with an accurate finish. Was a threat all night, although he could have done even more had he been a little more disciplined with the timing of his runs. (8/10)

Substitutes

Pedro: Replaced Munir on the hour mark and had an impact as Barcelona made their numerical advantage tell in the closing stages. (7/10)

Ivan Rakitic: Came on for the final 20 minutes in place of Iniesta and missed a very good chance to add his name to the scoresheet. (6/10)

Sandro Ramirez: Introduced with 10 minutes remaining but didn't have enough time to really make a difference. (6/10)