Barcelona temporarily regained first position in La Liga following a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday evening.
A brace from Neymar and a first-half strike from Lionel Messi secured all the points for the Catalan outfit, but they finished the evening in second position after Atletico Madrid beat Granada in the late start.
The champions were also hit with the news that goalkeeper Victor Valdes has potentially played his last game for the club after tests revealed that the Spaniard had torn his cruciate ligament in the first period of the clash.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
Barcelona
Shots: 14
On target: 6
Possession: 67%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11
Celta
Shots: 8
On target: 6
Possession: 33%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 8
Was the result fair?
Barcelona were far from their best at the Camp Nou this evening, but did not really need to move out of second gear against a disappointing Celta side, who lacked invention in the final third. The Catalan outfit might have been three or four goals ahead at the break following a dominant first half, but the second period did bring a host of opportunities for Celta, who grew as the match developed. That said, Barcelona never looked in danger of failing to pick up all the points in what was the 1,000th La Liga game at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona's performance
Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino made a number of changes to his starting XI following the Clasico victory over Real Madrid at the weekend. However, his side still had far too much for Celta, who struggled to contain the likes of Neymar, Messi and Andres Iniesta during an impressive first period. The home side also controlled the majority of the second 45 minutes, but were in second gear for long spells. Tonight proved a brilliant opportunity for Martino to hand much-needed minutes to a number of his squad players, but their hopes of silverware this season were harmed with the news that Valdes will be out of action for the remainder of the season.
Celta's performance
It was a surprise when the teamsheets were announced and Celta boss Luis Enrique had left out his leading scorer Charles, with 18-year-old Santi Mina instead tasked with leading the line at the Camp Nou. In truth, the Spanish forward struggled to influence proceedings this evening, with Celta without the ball for long spells. There is no question that Enrique's side improved in the second period, but that was due to Barcelona's drop in intensity rather than their own work. Chances arrived in the second period, but they never looked capable of taking something from the match after falling behind inside just six minutes. Defensively, especially in the first period, they really struggled to contain the Barcelona attack.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Neymar: It hasn't quite happened for Neymar in 2014 after a bright start to the season, but the Brazilian was in fine form for Barcelona this evening. His first goal was a simple tap-in from close range, but he showed brilliant skill and composure for his second. His brace will do him the world of good ahead of the final couple of months of the campaign.
Biggest gaffe
Barcelona stopper Jose Pinto had a horror in the latter stages when he slipped inside his own box, which allowed Celta striker Mario Bermejo the chance to find the back of the net. However, luckily for the home side, Bermejo could not prevent the ball from trickling out of play. Pinto also appeared to injure himself in the process, with Barcelona facing the prospect of finishing the match without a goalkeeper, but the veteran returned to his feet moments later.
Referee performance
There was an incredible moment in the first period when referee Miguel Ayza appeared to point for a Celta penalty when Adriano handled the ball, despite replays showing that it was clearly outside the box. Eventually a free kick was awarded, but it was a very strange piece of refereeing. Aside from that moment, however, the Spanish official had a comfortable evening - issuing just the four yellow cards throughout the 90 minutes.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will attempt to continue their winning run when they make the short trip to Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday afternoon.
Celta: Enrique's side, meanwhile, host in-form Sevilla, who beat Real Madrid this evening, in the league on Saturday.
Matt Law
