"When we saw his name wasn't in the starting lineup, we breathed a sigh of relief, " Bayern midfielder Javi Martinez said.

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Javi Martinez, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were also on the scoresheet.

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Robben exchanged passes with Spain midfielder Javi Martinez before stealing in behind the Barcelona defense, but he could only fire his effort straight at Victor Valdes.

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Early in the second half the Portugal star netted his 44th in the league this season with a close-range header, and Bilbao's last hopes of salvaging something from the game ended when Javi Martinez was sent off for a second yellow card.

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Longtime stalwarts Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso, who have an incredible 225 caps between them, may be the wrong side of 30, but the trio of Javi Martinez (24), Sergio Busquets (24) and Cesc Fabregas (25) are just hitting the prime of their careers.

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However, he may still have to appease some fans after saying that his failure to land his top five transfer targets before the season - including United's very own Robin van Persie, Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich), Lazio's Daniele De Rossi and Daniel Agger of Liverpool - had cost his team its chance of glory this year.

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