Barcelona travelled to Almeria on Saturday looking to continue their 100% start to the La Liga season.
The away side led at the interval courtesy of Lionel Messi's 11th goal of the season for the league champions.
It was 2-0 in the early stages of the second, however, when Adriano finished off a smart move from close range.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics:
Almeria:
Shots: 3
On target: 1
Possession: 29%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 19
Barcelona:
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 71%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
There might have been just two goals between the sides this evening, but it was about as one-sided as you could possibly imagine at this level of football. Barcelona did not get out of first gear let alone second throughout the 90 minutes as they utterly cruised to the three points. Unfortunately, there was a distinct lack of belief about Almeria's performance.
Almeria's performance
The newly-promoted side more than matched Barcelona for long periods of the first half, but simply did not turn up in the second. Even at 1-0, you never felt as if they would cause Barcelona problems. In truth, they would not have earmarked this match as the chance to record their first league win of the season, but their performance was disappointing against a fairly lacklustre Barcelona team.
Barcelona's performance
The Catalan outfit were perhaps as poor as they have been this season, but in truth, they never needed to raise the tempo. It was a case of securing another three points while saving as much energy as possible, which proved to be the case. They lost Messi to a slight injury in the first period, but it is understood that it was more of a precaution than a real concern. Still no sign of the champions dropping points this season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cesc Fabregas: The Spaniard had been linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, but he has been a key member of the Barcelona XI in the early part of the season. He continued that form this evening with another assist - his sixth in the league this season - capping an all-round display from the former Arsenal midfielder.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Overall, Almeria's defence was fairly solid this evening. However, they were all over the place in the build-up to Barcelona's second. Granted, a clever piece of play from Andres Iniesta created space inside the box, but Cesc Fabregas had all the time in the world to spot Adriano, who simply slotted home from close range. It just has to be better at this level of football.
Referee performance
Miguel Ayza had a successful 90 minutes of action this evening. The Spaniard was hardly seen throughout the entirety, which is always a good sign for an official. He was called into action to deal with a number of late challenges in the latter stages, but he was sensitive to the occasion and not quick to issue unnecessary bookings. Overall, neither manager would have had any complaints about his performance.
What next?
Almeria: Almeria's search for their first league win of the season will continue next weekend when they travel to Sevilla.
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit are in Champions League action on Tuesday with a trip to Celtic, before they travel to Real Valladolid in the league next weekend.
Matt Law
