Lionel Messi curled home a free-kick and Antoine Griezmann struck what proved to be the winner as a laboured Barcelona eventually overcame Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at Camp Nou.
Barcelona 2-1 Athletic: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
But which players stood out most?
✔️ GOOD PERFORMANCE
Antoine Griezmann: 8.2
The Frenchman was on the periphery of the contest for much of the first half but was vital in the second.
He made a superb run across his marker to meet Oscar Mingueza's low cross to guide his effort into the net and score the vital winner.
But he also created two other Big Chances for team-mates that were squandered, which could have made the scoreline more emphatic.
No matter - Griezmann looks far more of a Barcelona player than he did even a few short months ago.
Oscar Mingueza: 7.4
Mingueza is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a right-back, but with Sergino Dest out and Sergi Roberto only just recovering from injury, he did an excellent job standing in on that side of the pitch here.
Mingueza made two important clearances and also had a 98% pass completion rate from his side, rarely giving the ball away.
And it was his run on the overlap at precisely the right time that was found by Ousmane Dembele, and his low ball in allowed Griezmann to net the winner.
⭐ STAR MAN
Lionel Messi: 9.1
Even when Lionel Messi produced a performance that appears low-key on paper, once you dive deeper you see his normal numbers are better than everyone else's.
Aside from anything else, he curled home a glorious free-kick midway through the first half that found the top corner and put Barcelona in the driving seat.
But overall he completed a quite unbelievable 11 dribbles, while of his four shots, two of them hit the target. He also won 13/16 of his duels - a considerable effort for a player who doesn't traditionally like that side of the game.
Barcelona 2-1 Athletic: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
Lionel Messi 
Barcelona 
Real Madrid 
