Copa del Rey: FC Barcelona 3-0 FC Cartagena: Player Ratings

After five consecutive games Pinto finally managed to keep a clean sheet. But he needed some help in doing so as Eric Lopez was denied by the post after a brilliant free kick. Pinto finished the game without needing to make a single save, but he did come off the line with authority a couple times to clear the ball. He also showed good composure passing the ball even though he often had a Cartagena player pressuring him.

For the second time in three games Montoya added his name to the assist list, this time with a beautiful cross to Pedro that threaded the needle between three opposing players. Outside of that play Montoya was also very involved in play build-up for Barcelona, and he was rarely dispossessed, though, he did end a couple Barcelona attacks with poor long range shots. He could've scored his first goal of the season at the stroke of halftime when he brilliantly timed a run to receive Neymar's pass, but decided to try to find Pedro in the middle – which he didn't.

Making his first appearance in front of the Camp Nou crowd since March, Puyol was solid at the back for Barcelona. He didn't always make it look pretty, but he made several effective blocks and clearances that prevented Cartagena from getting into a dangerous scoring position. Puyol also won a few air duels. On a couple occasions he also ventured forward and made several plays that kept Barcelona's attacks alive. An encouraging performance by the captain, who managed to get into the referees notebook for a handball that earned him a yellow card.

Mascherano had to be alert from the opening kickoff as barely a minute in he did well to prevent a quick counter after Adriano's errant pass almost sprung Menudo. On a couple plays Mascherano was late to react or made a bad read, but against a third division side Barcelona weren't made to pay. However, against better teams (read: probably every team Barcelona will face the rest of the season) the Argentine has to make better decisions. His passing, though, was once again impeccable.

With Cartagena rarely attacking Adriano stayed most of the match high up the pitch, providing a passing option to his teammates. His passing was on occasion a bit wayward, which has been a rather disturbing trend in recent games. Adriano came close to scoring the opening goal of the game in the 15th minute, but his 30-yard effort missed the net by about a foot. Defensively Adriano brought very little to the game.

A fairly relaxed game for Song overall. Cartagena offered little in midfield and with the possession keeping abilities of Cesc Fàbregas and Sergi Roberto beside him; he rarely looked in trouble in the centre of the field. Song was also allowed to push higher up the pitch and form a three man attacking midfield with Fàbregas and Roberto but this did on occasion leave Barça susceptible to the counterattack. His match highlight coming when he picked out Montoya on the wing who set up Pedro for Barça’s opener.

Sergi Roberto adopted a more Xavi like role tonight then we’re used to, staying further back and affecting the play from a "quarterback" style position. Nevertheless it was a good game for the youngster and he made it through with little trouble, which is to be expected of lower league opponents. Although it would’ve been good to see him more directly involved with Barça’s attacks.

An okay game for Fàbregas. Cesc seemingly had the important role of bursting from midfield to the false 9 position to break down Cartagena’s packed defence, but Fàbregas was rarely picked out when he made these runs and eventually retreated to a more central position. The Barça number four combined well with Sergi Roberto as they looked to trap the ball in the opponent’s half. Not one of Fàbregas’ finest games but he did his job before being replaced by Andrés Iniesta late in the second half.

Pedro grabbed his 11^th goal of the season last night with a well-taken volley from close range, after a late run into the six-yard box helped him escape the Cartagena defense and reach Martin Montoya’s intelligent pass.

With yet another goal and assist, Neymar has now contributed 24 goals thus far this season – not bad for a player who was supposed to be at a disadvantage having never played club football in Europe before.

Taking advantage of a rare starting opportunity, Cristian Tello bagged his second goal of the season in equally fortunate circumstances to his first, as a lucky deflection wrong-footed the Cartagena keeper and helped Tello’s strike sneak in at the near post.

A late cameo, Alexis impressed the Barca Blaugranes community in his 14 minute stint on the field.

Barca booked their place in the Round of 16 with an adequate performance at the Camp Nou -- and can now turn their attentions back to La Liga and the weekend's trip to Madrid.

Martino's team selection got the job done, and that's all there really is to say.

With an overwhelming majority of the vote, Neymar secured the Man of the Match award for his impressive performance.