Lionel Messi may have grabbed all the plaudits after his virtuoso display against Chelsea, but Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde felt club-record signing Ousmane Dembele was instrumental in the Catalans’ 3-0 win over the Blues as well as he stated the young French forward had taken a big step forward with his display at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

“He (Dembele) worked hard in attack” Valverde was quoted as saying by the club website.

“And he also dropped back to play a fundamental defensive role. He’s taken a big step forward,” added the Spanish manager.

“I am delighted that Dembele scored and for the way the fans received Andre Gomes. It was very positive for them both,” Barcelona fullback Sergio Roberto expressed after the tie.

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Dembele’s had a tough first season in Barcelona, with his pre-season having been disrupted due to La Blaugrana’s late move for him in the summer transfer window.

The fact that the 20-year-old Frenchman was considered a like-for-like replacement for Neymar, who departed for Paris Saint-Germain in the same window, didn’t help and neither did his enormous price tag of €105 million.

To complicate matters further, Dembele injured his hamstring in September and was ruled out for four months.

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By the time he recovered, many had unfairly claimed he would never be able to cut it at the Nou Camp and with Philippe Coutinho’s arrival from Liverpool in the winter transfer window, the Frenchman was no longer a confirmed starter.

However, the speedy French forward has been impressive on his return from injury and against Chelsea, he was employed in an unfamiliar right-midfield role in a 4-4-2 but gave it his all and was rewarded for his efforts when he arrived in the box to power home Lionel Messi’s lay-off in the 20th minute.

As Valverde mentioned, his tracking back was immense on the night and he made a couple of vital stops in his own half to prevent the Blues from getting one back.

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With Coutinho cup-tied in the UEFA Champions League, Dembele is effectively guaranteed to start and it looks like the Frenchman is going to light up pitches across Europe with his energetic displays.