Vilanova proud of Barcelona effort

28 October 2012 03:06

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has hailed the efforts of his players after their 5-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

A Lionel Messi double, as well as goals from Xavi, David Villa and Cesc Fabregas helped Barca move 11 points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga.

Barcelona have won eight of their nine league games this campaign, a record Vilanova is proud of.

"I've seen every game and know first-hand how difficult it is to achieve a record of 25 points out of 27," Vilanova told reporters.

"We had very little possession in the first 15 minutes, but we always fought until the end. We deserve the points we currently have, but must also congratulate Rayo for their approach to the game.

"We took great comfort from (Sergio) Busquets' performance, while (Alex) Song played a great game in a more physical position.

"(David) Villa scored and we are as happy as he is. Today, we used (Martin) Montoya, and we are also very confident in (Marc) Batra. We are Barcelona, and trust our youth greatly."

Barcelona forward Fabregas believes his team's 5-0 mauling of Rayo was their finest display of the season.

"This was the best game of the season," he said. "We are really happy with the excellent work we produced tonight in an intense encounter.

"We played really well in the second half. We knew we were going to suffer in front of the Rayo supporters, but it was a real party after our second goal, when we imposed ourselves."