Before a ball had been kicked at Mestalla I imagine most culers might’ve been happy with a point against Valencia, so to grab all three in such comprehensive circumstances was a real feather in the cap for Xavi and his team.
Los Che don’t appear to be the force they once were, but they still had enough about them to trouble the visitors and, on another day, could’ve got back into the game.
Pedri’s astonishing effort finally settled the nerves in a match where there was so much to admire.
Notwithstanding some regrettable errors by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Oscar Mingueza, there wasn’t really a Barcelona player that you could point the finger at and say they had a poor game.