Manchester City forward Nolito has claimed that three-goal Lionel Messi 'was the difference' between his team and Barcelona during Wednesday's Champions League clash at Camp Nou.

Man City frustrated Barcelona in the opening half of action despite trailing 1-0, but conceded three times in the second period once Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had been sent from the field.

Nolito does not believe that there was too much between the teams during the Group C clash, but has conceded that Messi's presence made it very difficult for the visitors, who ultimately lost 4-0.

"Messi is the best player in the world so he makes the difference," Nolito told Man City's official website. "When he gets the ball, he always does something, a goal or an assist."

"We played well in the first half. We had our chances but, in the second half, we were unlucky. This is football. We need to keep going. [This] was a very hard game against Barca but we did not deserve to lose 4-0."

Nolito was strongly linked with a return to Barcelona before swapping Celta Vigo for Man City in the summer transfer window.