For the purist, this wasn't a match to remember, but these are the kind of victories that will decide a season. And Barcelona hopes this is one of those!
Once again, Barcelona looked jagged, lagged and all other things and to make matters worse, at their own home. An extremely scrappy goal from the much-maligned Rakitic was needed for Barcelona to secure three vital points and move back to the top of the table. Now we need to wait to find out how many days that promotion lasts for?
Lionel Messi once again was instrumental in the goal. It was his pass which resulted in the opening which Rakitic converted. But to be honest, I doubt it was a pass from Messi. It was a brilliant turn from Messi which got converted into an assist, all thanks to Rakitic who unlike his fellow teammates made the run into the box!
