Luis Suarez bagged the opener and Lionel Messi scored twice
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 8/10
Made two important saves from James Milner and another from Mohamed Salah to preserve a really important clean sheet. A solid showing from the Barcelona stopper.
Sergi Roberto:6/10
Started at right-back and looked vulnerable in defence all night against Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane until he moved further forwards when Nelson Semedo came on. Played a role in Barcelona’s second goal but Valverde may prefer Semedo for the second leg.
Gerard Pique: 8/10
Struggled at times against Mane and found him a tricky customer initially, but he got better as the game went on and deserves huge credit for Barcelona’s clean sheet. Made some crucial interventions and looked assured towards the end.
Clement Lenglet: 6/10
Had his hands full with Mohamed Salah and was booked for a shirt pull on the Egyptian. Ended up with a ripped shirt which shows how much of a physical battle he was engaged in, but he will be chuffed with the clean sheet.
Jordi Alba: 8/10
Had a really busy evening at both ends of the pitch. Produced a simply brilliant assist for the opening goal and caused Liverpool real problems with his attacks down the left. Was beaten by Salah a few times but was the best full-back on the pitch.
Ivan Rakitic: 7/10
Wasn’t his greatest night on the ball, but he made up for his work off it. Might have scored early on but opted to pass, but he cleared off the line after Salah had hit the post.
Sergio Busquets: 8/10
Has not been at his very best this season but produced a great display against Liverpool. Won every tackle he went in for, rarely gave the ball away, produced some really sweet moments and recovered possession well.
Arturo Vidal: 8/10
Was a bit of a surprise inclusion ahead of Arthur, but he played his heart out and made crucial contributions. Sprayed a great ball out to Coutinho in the build-up to the opening goal, slid around all over the place making interceptions and produced a brilliant late challenge to deny Mane.
Lionel Messi: 9/10
Boy does Messi want to win the Champions League this season. Started off like a man on a mission, went a bit quiet, scored an easy goal after Suarez hit the post and then grabbed an absolute belter with a sensational free-kick.
Luis Suarez: 8/10
Broke his Champions League drought with a brilliant finish to open the scoring in the first half. Played a role in the second with a shot that hit the crossbar and can reflect on a great night’s work against his former team.
Philippe Coutinho: 4/10
Lasted an hour against his former side before being replaced by Nelson Semedo after an ineffective performance. Gave the ball away frequently and attracted the whistles of the Camp Nou crowd in the second half before his substitution.
Ernesto Valverde: 7/10
Caused a few mild surprises with his team selection, as he started Sergi Roberto, Arturo Vidal and Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian found it tough going and was eventually replaced by Semedo which made a big difference, but it was a surprise not to see Dembele earlier.
The Team: 9/10
As predicted Barcelona gave Liverpool chances and had a few shaky moments in defence. However, they also scored a couple of brilliant goals and took their chances when they came. The hosts rode their luck at times, but a 3-0 win is a huge result against the Reds.
Nelson Semedo: 8/10
Made a big difference after coming on, as Barcelona looked stronger in defence and went on to add two goals to give them a 3-0 win and a big advantage ahead of the second leg
Ousmane Dembele: 5/10
A bit of a surprise that he didn’t start but came on late on and wasted a brilliant late chance to make it 4-0 and effectively seal the tie. Lionel Messi’s reaction to his miss spoke volumes.
from Barca Blaugranes - All Posts http://bit.ly/2Vb4wkE
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