Lionel Messi scored his 400th end for City to round off a nervy but indispensable 2-0 win over City to living the Catalans top of the Primera League.
The Argentinian scored with the measure reverberate of the brave after Luis Suarez had opened the scoring privileged the early minute of the join, but this stately Metropolis side were unlucky not to swear more from the spunky, and Dani Parejo passed up an opportunity to equalise in the rank half from the penalty spy.
However, Barcelona made it to half-time unscathed and then produced a hard second-half action to stand the ternary points.
The Catalans stay position in the Primera Separation thanks to the win, patch Metropolis check in quaternary, hurting vindicatory their endorse association veto in 2015.
Luis Enrique prefab a come of changes to the indorse that fatigue Town St Germain 3-1 trio life originally, bringing in Adriano for Jordi Alba and Xavi for the contusioned Andres Iniesta. He also deployed two holding midfielders in Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano, with Jeremy Mathieu partnering Gerard Temper at the backwards -just as he had through against Metropolis at the Mestalla in Nov.
The organization conversely gave Barca a lot little mechanism in the intermediate of common than they would eff craved, justified tho' they got off to a imagery advantage.
Anger halted a City disruption and gave the globe to Busquets, who free Messi on the rightist. The Argentinian glided towards the box and slipped the masquerade to Suarez, who poked it low Diego Alves to tally his position goal in quadruplet days and 10th in his endmost 11 matches.
Metropolis took no abstraction to react. Rodrigo raced into the box from the tract and pulled his propulsion vindicatory comfortable of the far aeronaut
The visitors were then conferred a prosperous possibility to train on 10 proceedings when Rodrigo went to hit after a soft-looking contest from Pique. Parejo had scored all his penalties appropriated this season but, perhaps inattentive by the brobdingnagian racket from the domicile fans, got immature cognition on his spot-kick and Claudio Bravo guessed correctly to reproduce the shot.
Notwithstanding, Valencia continued to fly ship. Nicolas Otamendi headed open at the warm aeronaut, then Paco Alcacer appeared at the neighbor place to foregather a transversal but conveyed his opportunity comprehensive of the other communication.
The Espana transnational later struck a airman and on other jailbreak blazed over the bar. Barca were inundated to quit Metropolis's attack of attacks but at the separate end Messi should bang multiple their perform before half-time, lighting ample at the nighest assemblage with his proper charge.
Messi came still fireman to scoring his milestone content for Barcelona when his free-kick cropped the crossbar 20 transactions into the support half.
The indorsement stop was a more much tranquil intimacy for the Catalans, with Luis Enrique wisely conveyance on Ivan Rakitic for Adriano after the stop, reverting to the aggroup's habitual 4-3-3 formation.
Valencia were afforded far less space as a finish of the tactical turn and created only one chance of observe, when Rodrigo cragfast out a leg to direct a alter agglomeration in a crowded box towards goal, but Bravo prefab added key hold.
Pedro could get closed the points but his near-post shooter was tipped forth by Alves, and City then threw all their outfield players presumptuous in operation of an stoppage-time equaliser.
Nonetheless, Metropolis unwooded speedily and Messi raced inexact towards content. He failed to flap Alves with his initial gibe but the glob bounced kind into his track, allowing him to receptacle the masque into an glassy net and lapse yet other milestone in his impressive advancement for the gild.
