In dreary conditions at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium, Barcelona survived the latest threat to their unbeaten season, fighting back to grab a hard-fought draw at their local rivals. Gerard Pique, who has had some back-and-forth with Espanyol and their fans recently and was the constant target of abuse from the stands, scored a late equaliser to cancel out Gerard Moreno’s opener.
Here are the player ratings from Barcelona derby…
ESPANYOL
Diego Lopez – 6: Had little to do as Barca struggled to get any shots on target, but could he have done more to keep out Pique’s header?
Marc Navarro – 6: Worked hard at right-back, solid and dependable in defence although didn’t get forward much at all before being replaced through injury.
Naldo – 7: Strong in the air and powerful in the tackle. Poor distribution but that didn’t matter much to his team’s approach.
David Lopez – 7: Read the game well to make some important defensive interventions, taking a no-nonsense approach to clearing his lines.
Aaron Martin – 6: Highly rated youngster was unable to show his attacking abilities but had a good game defensively.
Jose Jurado – 5: Played down the right wing and had a few opportunities to attack but did little with them. Worked hard defensively but was replaced after an hour.
Victor Sanchez – 7: Espanyol’s no-nonsense organiser in the centre of the field, he relished the conditions far more than most. ‘Getting stuck in’ is his mantra and he carried out that task to the full.
Sergi Darder – 6: A technical player who loves time on the ball, this wasn’t his kind of game – especially in the second half when the middle of the pitch became a flood site.
Esteban Granero – 6 A mainly defensive role on the left-hand side of midfield and carried out that role with determination. Offered little in attack.
Leo Baptistao – 7: A slow start but gradually became a goal threat, robbing Andres Iniesta to warm Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s hands with a 20-yard strike and then sending a flying header over the bar. His direct running made him a handful for Barca’s defence.
Gerard Moreno – 7: The most technically adept of Espanyol’s attacking players, he showed some lovely touches and produced a thunderbolt header for the opening goal. Lucky to only be booked for a disgraceful assault on Pique just after the equaliser.
Substitutes
Sergio Garcia – 7: Popular veteran came onto the right wing to spice up his team’s attack, and did just that by delivering a magnificent cross onto the head of Moreno for the opener. Booked for a reckless lunge on Samuel Umtiti and had an ambitious stoppage time penalty appeal.
Javi Lopez – 6: Came on a right-back for the final ten minutes and whacked the ball long a few times, as all the players had to by that stage.
Carlos Sanchez: Only on the pitch for a few minutes.
Gerard Moreno looked to have set Espanyol on their way to victory.
BARCELONA
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6: Few saves to make and had to vary his distribution in the second half, with the pitch forcing Barca to play long rather than out from the back.
Nelson Semedo – 5: Initially offered good attacking width down the right but had little end product and gradually faded. Replaced by Sergi Roberto early in the second half.
Gerard Pique – 8: Mercilessly jeered by Espanyol fans but didn’t let that bother him as he produced a largely authoritative display, although he was lucky not to be punished after being caught in possession by Baptistao in the first half. Had the last laugh with a thumping header to earn a point, further enraging the home support.
Samuel Umtiti – 7: Defended with composure in the opening period, and when conditions worsened after the break he knuckled down and kept it simple.
Lucas Digne – 5: Another unremarkable performance from a player who just does not look up to Barca standard. Offered next to nothing going forward and failed to cut out Garcia’s cross for the opener. Rightly replaced near the end.
Sergio Busquets – 5: Initially immaculate in possession but occasionally struggled defensively and looked increasingly uncomfortable as the weather conditions worsened, clearly not enjoying the pitch at all. Booked for a late challenge on Baptistao.
Paulinho – 5: Solid and steady in midfield but lacked the subtlety of passing to break down the hosts and didn’t make his usual runs into the Espanyol box.
Andres Iniesta – 7: The starting point for nearly all of Barca’s attacks, Iniesta showed his incredible balance by gliding past opponents and puddles alike, the only played who was able to do so. Couldn’t quite find the final ball to match his build-up play but never stopped trying.
Paco Alcacer – 5: Glanced a headed half-chance wide but was largely anonymous on the right of Barca’s front three, and it was no surprise when he was replaced.
Luis Suarez – 6: Looked sharp in attack early on. Curled a first-half free-kick over the bar, but retreated into battle mode in the second half as the pitch prevented anything more intricate.
Philippe Coutinho – 6: Started on the left of a front three and looked comfortable, regularly dropping back to combine with Iniesta but also trying to penetrate the penalty area. Crashed a brilliant first-half strike against the bar but faded after the break, which saw him switch to the right wing after Messi emerged.
Substitutes
Lionel Messi – 6: Came on ten minutes after the break but this was not his kind of game at all, with the state of the playing surface preventing him from dribbling or feeding in short passes to the box.
Sergi Roberto – 6: Entered at right back for Semedo and battled away without making any real impact.
Jordi Alba – 6: Replaced Digne and had a sparky tussle with Garcia which regularly looked like coming to blows.
Messi provided the telling moment yet again, assisting Barca’s leveller.
