Philippe Coutinho has made his long-awaited Barcelona debut, replacing Andrés Iniesta, in a 2-0 win over Espanyol in the Copa del Rey.

The former Liverpool player, who made the £142m move earlier this month, had been forced to wait on the sidelines because of a thigh injury. He replaced the Barça captain after 68 minutes as the hosts made it through to the semi-finals, 2-1 on aggregate.

Coutinho admitted he had been hit by a bout of nerves prior to coming on against Espanyol - the club he had a loan stint with in 2012 - but said the reaction of his colleagues and fans helped calm him. He said on Barcelona’s official website: “For me it’s a great night, a very special night. They are my first minutes with this club and I’m very happy, thrilled.

“The reception I got from the fans and the players left me happy. I was a little anxious, nervous, but the way they all received me left me very calm.

“It’s a special night and we’ve managed to win the game, which is the most important thing. It was a difficult game, as you’d expect, against a team who played well. I think from the first half we controlled the game well and we’ve deserved to win.”

First-half goals from Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi were enough to see Barcelona progress, 24 hours after Real Madrid were dumped out of the cup by Leganés.

Coutinho’s former club have completed a £200,000 deal for the Falkirk defender Tony Gallacher. The 18-year-old spent a week on trial at Liverpool’s Kirkby academy earlier this month and the club have wasted little time in signing the full-back.