Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho praised Ousmane Dembele after victory at Malaga.

Dembele is only 20 years of age, but that hasn't stopped the Camp Nou boo-boys from sharpening their knives for a player they consider has underachieved in his first season.

"Dembele is a great player and against Malaga he proved it," goalscorer Coutinho said to reporters after the match.

"His cross was perfect."

Often, teams at the bottom of the league can cause more problems than others, but a Barcelona win was never in doubt once Luis Suarez opened the scoring.

"We came to play a difficult game and we scored early," the Brazilian continued.

"With one more goal, we controlled the match and we left happy with the three points.

"Now we can think about Chelsea."