Lionel Messi scored twice, the second an outrageous free-kick, to help give Barcelona a commanding but scarcely deserved Champions League semi-final lead over Liverpool.
The double took the brilliant Messi to 600 career goals for the Catalan club, and earned a 3-0 first leg win over Jurgen Klopp’s side - who were the better side for large spells of the contest - after Luis Suarez had opened the scoring against his former club.
Ernesto Valverde gave Philippe Coutinho the nod ahead of Ousmane Dembele to join Suarez in facing his old employers, with the inclusion of Chilean veteran Arturo Vidal over Brazilian youngster Arthur the only real surprise.
Surprise, however, was the order of the day for Jurgen Klopp as Joe Gomez was handed a first start since early December in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back.
With Roberto Firmino only fit enough for a place on the bench, Klopp opted against selecting a direct replacement, and instead employed Georginio Wijnaldum in a more advanced role, pushing on between the split forward pair of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
Jurgen Klopp had dismissed the notion that this clash was a final before the final, but those claims did not look quite so outrageous in a first half that left you wondering how either Tottenham or Erik Ten Hag’s universally adored young Ajax side are supposed to live with the victors of this tie in Madrid a month today.
Liverpool’s fans, though notably not their players, wanted a penalty on five minutes when Gerard Pique gave the first indication that he would struggle to live with the menace of Mane, clumsily toppling the Senegalese forward inside the box.
At the other end, though, Barca were up and running, and after Ivan Rakitic had threatened with some intricate interchange with Coutinho, Liverpool needed a trademark piece of covering from Andy Robertson to thwart Lionel Messi.
Liverpool lost Naby Keita after little more than twenty minutes, but the introduction of Jordan Henderson, unlucky not to start, only helped maintain their early advantage in midfield, despite Vidal’s typically chaotic disruptive presence.
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Any time Barcelona’s forward got involved, however, there was trouble, and when Jordi Alba – to all intents and purposes a left winger – swung a peach of a ball in between Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip, Suarez was alive, darting in to find the net before showing no qualms about celebrating.
Liverpool were unperturbed, and might have been level when Henderson displayed the creative edge that has been a welcome addition to his game in recent weeks with a wonderful arced ball into the path of Mane, but he could only lift over the bar.
For all their good play, Liverpool had failed to ask a serious question of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, but they righted that immediately after the break as Salah and James Milner both forced the German into good saves with well-placed efforts from the edge of the box.
Where the first half had been ebb and flow, the opening period of the second saw only wave after wave of Liverpool attack, Salah’s immaculate control and Wijnaldum’s dummy almost teeing up Milner.
Valverde sacrificed Coutinho, sending on Nelson Semedo to double up with Sergi Roberto in trying to stem the Robertson-shaped tide, and shifting Vidal to the opposite flank, where he immediately found space to receive Messi’s pass inside the box, only to make a mess of the cut back.
Matip had to make up for his own tardiness in stepping up, getting back to thwart the ever-lively Suarez after playing him onside, but it was a rare moment of trepidation for the visitors, as Barca looked like adopting the kind of ‘we’ll take this’ approach they’d gone for late in the first leg of their quarter final win at Old Trafford.
But then came the game, and possibly tie, changing moment, Fabinho’s tackle inadvertently providing the missing link in a Barcelona attack that eventually sent Suarez in on goal. For a moment, Liverpool’s luck was in, as his shot came back of the bar, but only as far as Messi, who rolled into an empty net.
If goal number 599 for Barcelona was one of his simplest then number 600 was one of the very best, even considering the ridiculous bar set within that collection.
When the Argentine lined up a free-kick all of 35 yards from goal you felt even he would struggle to beat Alisson, but defying logic is what this man does, and he whipped a laser perfect effort that started way outside the upright and bent back inside just in time to nestle in the top corner.
Still Liverpool had a glorious chance to get the lifeline of an away goal, when Firmino, just on as a substitute, saw his shot cleared off the line and then roll out invitingly for Salah, only for the Egyptian, perhaps still stunned by what he had seen at the other end, to smash against the post.
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Barcelona vs Liverpool starting line-ups
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Vidal, Messi, Suarez, Coutinho
Subs: Cillessen, Semedo, Arthur, Dembele, Malcom, Umtiti, Alena
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita, Mane, Salah
Subs: Mignolet, Lovren, Firmino, Henderson, Shaqiri, Origi, Alexander-Arnold
23 mins: Two things Liverpool will be all over here.
One, that Vidal is not at it and two, that Sadio Mane has got the beating of Gerard Pique all day.
Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson is on, and has taken the armband off James Milner too.
David Lynch is at the Nou Camp
We've been treated to a brilliant, breathless and wide open first 15 minutes here in Spain - this is a big game living up to expectations. Liverpool will perhaps be most pleased with the state of play given the significance an away goal could hold but, if Barca score first, will they look to settle it down after that? It might be wise.
20 mins: Naby Keita briefly went down earlier on under a challenge from Rakitic but looked to be okay to carry on.
However, he's now back on the turf and I think Jordan Henderson is about to come on here, having been forced off early himself against Bayern Munich earlier in this competition.
18 mins: That's as cheap as they come - Pique under a bit of pressure from Mane on the edge of his own box, and he concedes the free-kick in a good crossing position.
Robertson curls it in, but Busquets is there to head away. Barca, meanwhile, are taking every break in play to complain about a penalty appeal they had a couple of minutes ago, when the ball struck Joel Matip's arm from about three inches away.
15 mins: Two brilliant bits of defending at either end.
Andy Robertson gets so much praise for his attacking work, but it's a long while since I've seen a full back so alert on the cover. He tracks Messi all the way across the box and slides in to make a crucial block as the Argentine pulls the trigger.
While Barca appeal for a penalty, Liverpool break with Salah. He does Vidal - who looks a yard off it - with a clever nutmeg, and tries to slide in Mane, but Sergi Roberto makes a great interception.
12 mins: Well there's an encouraging sign for Liverpool. Mo Salah isolates Clement Lenglet and the Frenchman might as well have laid out the red carpet. Couldn't have made himself any smaller, but luckily for him, Salah's square pass is between Mane and Wijnaldum.
8 mins: Both sides have looked menacing in the early stages, which I suppose shouldn't be a surprise, given the attacking talent on show. Does look like there'll be plenty of chances in this one.
5 mins: A big penalty shout for Liverpool, although interestingly not from the man who looked to be fouled.
Mane gets in behind, and is goal side of Pique, who makes a clumsy looking challenge from behind, and I'm staggered that we're not even going to have another look at that.
4 mins: Liquid from Barcelona, a delicious one-two on the edge of the box between Rakitic and Coutinho, but the Croatian tries to cut back for Vidal in the middle, rather than shoot, and it's turned behind.
2 mins: It looks like Salah and Mane have started as a very wide front pair, with Georginio Wijnaldum pushing on between them.