Goals by Lionel Messi and Dani Alves saw Barcelona take control of their Champions League last 16 tie against Manchester City with a 2-0 win in Tuesday's first leg.
Knockout-phase debutants City matched Barcelona in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, but the game changed early in the second period when Martin Demichelis was sent off following a last-man foul on Messi.
The Argentine scored from the ensuing penalty in the 54th minute, taking his tally of goals in this season's competition to seven.
Despite being a man down, City continued to threaten, but in the final minute Alves ran through to score, leaving Barcelona firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return leg on March 12.
While Neymar started on the bench for Barcelona after his recent return from injury, City manager Manuel Pellegrini deployed a pragmatic 4-4-1-1 formation, with Alvaro Negredo playing as a lone striker.
Both managers had emphasised the importance of possession before the game and in that domain the visitors quickly stamped their authority, immediately trading passes with their usual hypnotic fluidity.
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