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Villarreal logo
La Liga
Aug 31, 2014 at 6pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
Ramirez (82')

Player Ratings: Villarreal 0-1 Barcelona

Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed as Barcelona beat Villarreal 1-0 at El Madrigal on Sunday.

Barcelona continued their 100% start to the league season with a 1-0 win over Villarreal at El Madrigal on Sunday.

The only goal of the match arrived after 82 minutes, when teenager Sandro Ramirez converted from close range.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed in the La Liga clash.


Goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo in action for Villarreal on March 17, 2014.© Getty Images

VILLARREAL

Goal

Sergio Asenjo: Could do nothing with Barcelona's late winner and made a number of smart stops throughout the 90 minutes. Was unlucky to be on the losing side at El Madrigal. (7/10)

Defence

Mario Gaspar: Slightly fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first period after a lunge on Pedro, but was defensively brilliant. Has emerged into one of the best full-backs in the league. (7/10)

Mateo Musacchio: Returned to the XI despite strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur and will have further increased speculation with a dominant and composed display at the heart of the defence. (7/10)

Victor Ruiz: On-loan Valencia defender missed his side's best chance in the first period, firing wide at the far post following a brilliant cross from Cani. (7/10)

Jaume Costa: Was forced off with an injury in the second period, but was extremely solid during his 59 minutes on the field. Frustrated Pedro for long spells. (7/10)

Midfield

Tomas Pina: Holding midfielder hit the post late on, but performed a solid job in front of his defence. Passing was neat and tidy in the middle of the park. (6/10)

Bruno: Proved a solid presence in the middle of the park, but did not have too much of an influence in the final third. Passing was unusually wayward at times. (6/10)

Manu Trigueros: Drifted into a wider position in the second period and threatened with his quality on the ball. Had a couple of long-range efforts, but failed to test Claudio Bravo. (6/10)

Cani: Always willing to take possession in the final third, but lacked runners ahead of him. Has had better evenings in a Villarreal shirt. (6/10)

Attack

Denis Cheryshev: Tasked with providing support to lone striker Giovani dos Santos, but simply did not see enough of the ball as Barcelona dominated possession for long spells. (5/10)

Giovani dos Santos: Made all the right runs in the final third, but really struggled for service. Mexican is better when he plays behind a centre-forward. (5/10)

Substitutes

Gabriel Paulista: Slotted effortlessly into the back four after replacing Costa in the second period, making a number of strong challenges in the latter stages. (7/10)

Luciano Vietto: Looked bright during his 25 minutes on the field and certainly worried the Barcelona defence. Needs time to settle in order to fully function for his new club. (6/10)

Javier Espinosa: Former Barcelona B player entered 20 minutes from time, but most of his work came in defensive areas as the Yellow Submarine continued to retreat in the latter stages. (6/10)


Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi vies with Villarreal's midfielder Manuel Trigueros Munoz during the Spanish league football match Villarreal vs Barcelona at the Camp El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on August 31, 2014© Getty Images

BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Did not have a single save to make, but was calm and confident from crosses. Looks to be a very good signing for the Catalan outfit. (6/10)

Defence

Dani Alves: Arguably his side's biggest attacking threat for long spells. His final ball was poor at times, but the Brazilian caused Villarreal all sorts of problems in the final third. (7/10)

Gerard Pique: Calm and confident on his return to the XI. Kept Giovani in check and never looked in danger alongside new centre-back partner Jeremy Mathieu. (7/10)

Jeremy Mathieu: Very good from the Frenchman once again. His signing was questioned in some quarters, but he produced another top-drawer defensive performance at El Madrigal. (8/10)

Jordi Alba: Not as involved as Alves in an attacking sense, but was strong in defensive areas. (7/10)

Midfield

Ivan Rakitic: Another impressive showing from the Croatian, who is keeping Xavi on the bench. Kept things ticking over nicely with his incredible range of passing. (7/10)

Rafinha: Handed his second league start for the club in a deeper role, but struggled to influence the match. Was tidy in possession, but lacked an end product. Will improve. (6/10)

Sergio Busquets: Typical performance from the Spaniard, who protected his back four. Excellent passing and never looked flustered in a packed midfield. (7/10)

Attack

Pedro: Might have won a first-half penalty from Mario, but was largely frustrated. Came close with a couple of efforts, but needs to do more in order to secure a spot in the first XI. (6/10)

Lionel Messi: Another brilliant display from the Argentine, who set up Sandro for the winner. Always involved and always at the heart of Barcelona's attacking threat. (8/10)

Munir El-Haddadi: Could not repeat his heroics from last weekend. The 18-year-old will be a star for Barcelona in the coming years, but found it tough at El Madrigal. (6/10)

Substitutes

Neymar: Immediately occupied the Villarreal defence upon his introduction and his pace played a major role in Barcelona's late dominance. Very impressive cameo on his return from injury. (7/10)

Sandro Ramirez: Munir was the star youngster last weekend, but it was Sandro's turn tonight. The teenager won it for his side with a close-range finish late on. (7/10)

Xavi: No surprise that the Spaniard picked up the pace of the game immediately upon his introduction. (7/10)


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Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi vies with Villarreal's midfielder Manuel Trigueros Munoz during the Spanish league football match Villarreal vs Barcelona at the Camp El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on August 31, 2014
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