Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol: Player Ratings

Barcelona returned to action in La Liga after a month with a derby at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana were hosting relegation-threatened Espanyol, hoping to retain their lead at the top of the table over Real Madrid.

Xavi’s men looked sharp from the first whistle, and did not take long before getting on the scoresheet as Raphinha’s corner was headed in by Marcos Alonso after attempts from Robert Lewandowski and Andreas Christensen.

The game slowed down after 30 minutes, but the hosts remained calm on the ball as Espanyol were minimised to just one shot in the first half.

The Blues and Whites got the chance to grow into the game after the 60th minute, though, as a foul from Marcos Alonso in the box earned them a penalty, which Joselu converted.

Mateu Lahoz saw the teams taking the attention away from him, and decided to put an end to that with two yellows to Jordi Alba for talking. He also issued a red to Vinicius Souza and Leandro Cabrera, even though the latter’s was rescinded.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6

The new fourth captain did not have too much to do today except the penalty goal, which cannot be blamed on him.

Sergi Roberto: 6

Returning from injury, Roberto inverted well at right-back, combining with Gavi, Raphinha, and Frenkie de Jong.

Andreas Christensen: 7

Another solid outing from Christensen, who has shown time and again now that he is in serious contention to become the first-choice CB. The Dane also assisted Alonso’s goal with a lovely cushioned header inside the box. Came awfully close to scoring the winner, too.

Marcos Alonso: 7.5

Alonso was inarguably Barça’s biggest goal threat in the first half. Not only did he get the first goal, but also came close to scoring another. He also created a superb chance for Lewy. Alas, his offensive impact was neutralised by the penalty he gave away.

Jordi Alba: 7.75

Another stellar performance from Jordi Alba, who is clearly thriving with the competition against Alejandro Balde. The Spaniard created some solid chances for his teammates, including one for Alonso, that was close to being buried. Did not deserve the red issued to him.

Gavi: 7

Gavi did a wonderful job out of possession, as the Camp Nou faithful have come to expect. He was on the end of a fair few loose balls and could have scored, too.

Frenkie de Jong: 7.5

Starting in Sergio Busquets defensive midfield role, de Jong was comfortable in possession, and athletic off it. He then moved into an advanced position in the second half and did very well there, too, breaking lines with his impressive ball-carrying ability.

Pedri: 7

Pedri’s first half was far more solid than his second, as he was constantly able to create chances from half-spaces. He looked far more influential with de Jong on his side in central midfield, though.

Raphinha: 7.5

Raphinha was Barcelona’s best creator in this game for a very long time, essentially setting up the goal. He was all over the pitch in the first half, defending as well, but eventually came off with no goal contributions and a slowly diminishing impact.

Robert Lewandowki: 6

Lewa was heavily involved in the attack for Barcelona through the game, but could have easily done better with his finishing.

Ansu Fati: 5

Ansu’s confidence is clearly not at its best. The Spaniard was barely involved in the game, and did not get into good scoring or creating positions. Further, he made conceded three fouls, which seems hugely unlike him.

SUBSTITUTES:

Sergio Busquets: 5

Barcelona lost most control of the game as soon as Busquets stepped onto the pitch, which is a sentence fans have gotten used to hearing this season as opposed to previous years.

Ferran Torres: 5

Came on during a chaotic period of the game, and did not impact the game too much.

Ousmane Dembele: 6

A couple of decent moves down the flank, but to no avail. Selfishly tried to score the winner on a few occasions, too, instead of looking for the pass.

Alejandro Balde: 7

Jules Kounde: 6.5