Barcelona player ratings as Sergi Roberto and Gerard Pique help shutout Bilbao

Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 7

Started the game with a bad error in possession although made amends by saving Benat's subsequent effort.

Didn't detract from what was another strong performance as he continued to play on the edge to the benefit of his team.

Sergi Roberto - 8

Had a great game at San Mames and has made the right-back position his own.

Overall a flawless game even when expected to drop deep to deal with Athletic Bilbao's onslaught towards the end.

Gerard Pique - 8

Barely gave Aritz Aduriz anything to feed off and was always careful with the ball around the Barcelona area.

Was cool and collected with set pieces and helped lead his side to their first clean sheet of the season.

Samuel Umtiti - 6

Came into the game with a lot of momentum but failed to live up to the hype.

Yellow carded early in the game and had to be withdrawn given the risk of a potential sending off.

Jordi Alba - 6

Had some trouble dealing with Inaki Williams and struggled to deal with the tricky winger in one-on-one situations.

Most of Bilbao's danger came down his side of  Barça's defence.

Sergio Busquets - 7

Walked a tight rope after being harshly awarded a yellow card in the first half.

In attack he accelerated the transitions and was the anchor that was needed in a game that was end-to-end throughout.

Denis Suarez - 7

Fairly quiet afternoon for the Galician and was fouled on numerous occasions.

Andre Gomes eventually replaced the 22-year-old but it was needed after a hard and testing evening in the Basque Country.

Ivan Rakitic - 8

The match winner played relentlessly and moved the ball from both sides of the pitch with ease.

Dropped deeper during the last 45 minutes as the Blaugrana were restricted to counter-attacking football. 

Lionel Messi - 7

'La Pulga' wasn't without spark or enthusiasm but couldn't find the net to finish off Los Leones.

Put at least two chances on a plate for Arda Turan and Luis Suarez but both efforts failed to find the net.

Luis Suarez - 6

Wasn't at his finest and was left devastated when his last-gasp attempt was blocked on the line.

He's well on his way to retaining the Pichichi trophy although this was a missed opportunity to move further clear of his rival contenders.

Arda Turan - 7

Didn't make too big an impact on the tie but was crucially effective when it counted.

The Turk's beautifully weighted cross was bulleted home by Rakitic to continue his strong start to the season.

SUBSTITUTES

Javier Mascherano - 7

Came on to help see out the win and used his tactical know-how to great effect having returned from injury.

Andre Gomes - 5

Making his league debut the former Valencia midfielder was asked to keep the ball and finish the game.

Failed to achieve this and his poor play was almost detrimental with minutes to play as Benat's eventual free-kick sailed just wide of the on-looking Ter Stegen.

Rafinha - 6

First game back after winning an Olympic gold medal with Brazil and was eager to get back to action with his club.

Replaced Arda and did his best to cover the midfield area but, ultimately, had very little impact.