Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points
Another Lionel Messi masterclass, coupled with Luis Suarez's first Champions League goal this season, ensure Barcelona take a comfortable 3-0 lead with them after an enthralling finish against Liverpool ahead of next week's semi-final second leg fixture.
Suarez broke the deadlock with a composed finish against his former employers after 26 minutes, shortly after midfielder Naby Keita (groin) was forced off injured for Jurgen Klopp's men. The Reds created promising chances of their own - Sadio Mane, James Milner and Mohamed Salah all coming close - but goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was alert to the danger and dealt with their opportunities with poise to keep his clean sheet intact.
Then with 15 minutes left, Messi doubled Barca's lead after a mazy run, consequent tackle and fortuitous bounce off Suarez hitting the crossbar saw the ball rebound into his path to slot home.
Eventually, he made it three after 82 minutes, this time scoring an excellent free-kick from distance which arrowed beyond a helpless Alisson. Liverpool, for all their promising spells, failed to make it count with goals and were punished by a ruthless Barca side who could have scored more in truth. Without further ado, here's a look at five talking points from Barca's commanding victory over the Reds:
#5 Wijnaldum disappoints in more advanced role with Firmino benched
Klopp made four changes to the side that thrashed Huddersfield on Friday evening, with Georginio Wijnaldum taking up a more advanced attacking role with Roberto Firmino (ankle) among the substitutes' bench.
All things considered, it was a surprise especially with Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi on the bench - though the experienced Dutchman has prior experience playing further forward. Ultimately though, it was a selection dilemma that Klopp got wrong one way or another because Wijnaldum was largely disappointing.
In a game of such magnitude where the difference between winning and losing can often be so finite, the 28-year-old struggled to stamp his authority on the game, even if he wasn't the only one.
Despite creating two key passes, he was dispossessed on two occasions and caught offside once - so technically those stats cancel each other out. Only Naby Keita, injured after 23 minutes, had less than his 30 touches for the visitors, yet his 82.6% pass completion rate wasn't particularly impressive either. He won two of his six duels and generally failed to impose much creativity in the final third, despite brief flashes when Liverpool threatened near Barca's box.