Barcelona faced off against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night hoping to take advantage of the draw in the Madrid derby and close the gap at the top of the league standings.
Hansi Flick put forth a formidable lineup and Robert Lewandowski put the team ahead early on the night. Before the celebrations began, however, Sevilla equalised within a minute of the opener.
It was only after the half-time break that Barcelona took the lead through substitute Fermin Lopez and then made it 3-1 via Raphinha. An untimely red card, however, left Barcelona in a tricky spot.
Nevertheless, Flick’s men held on and Eric Garcia even scored a fourth goal for the team with ten men.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Sevilla 1-4 Barcelona.
Wojciech Szczesny: 8
The Polish shot-stopper was on point at Ramon Sanchez Pijzuan and regularly tested on the night as Sevilla made multiple attempts on the counterattack.
Came up with crucial saves to keep Barcelona in the game and cannot be blamed for the opening goal in any capacity.
Alejandro Balde: 7
Balde had a decent game in both attack and defence and was quite clearly the more attacking of the two full-backs.
Combined regularly with Raphinha in the final and was constantly looking to break the lines with his crosses.
Inigo Martinez: 8
The Spanish centre-back made his first start after returning from injury and was solid not only with his distribution but also his decision-making. Martinez was also on point with his maintenance of the offside trap largely.
Earned an assist for Robert Lewandowski’s opener after smartly heading the ball into his path off Raphinha’s assist.
Ronald Araujo: 6.5
The Uruguayan was still visibly struggling with the offside trap and still appeared to be some way off from being able to hold the line effectively.
Unsurprisingly played Sevilla’s counter-attack onside for the equaliser as well. Suffered a rough challenge to the ankle in the 22nd minute and was replaced by Pau Cubarsi immediately after.
Jules Kounde: 6.5
The right-back was defensively exposed repeatedly as Sevilla often beat the offside trap timing a ball past Kounde to meet the run of a midfield player.
Did not contribute as much as usual in the final third and did not invert as he usually does in Hansi Flick’s system, suggesting an alternation in tactics from the coach.
Frenkie de Jong: 7.5
A great game by the Dutchman who is slowly but surely proving a point under Hansi Flick. Once again earned the start ahead of Marc Casado and was rock-solid as the double-pivot with efficient ball distribution.
While he did not pull off as many extravagant passes as Pedri, he was as reliable as ever on the ball.