FC Barcelona will be spending another week atop the Liga table after a 3-1 win at mid-table Elche this Saturday.

It was game in which the Catalans dominated from start to finish but despite taking an early lead through Lamine Yamal, it took a frustratingly long time to make sure of the three points. Elche pulled a goal back against the run of play, while Barça let a staggering number of chances go begging before Ferran Torres finally restored the lead shortly before half-time.

the game as it happened

Marcus Rashford’s third finally got things out of Elche’s reach but it had been a nervous wait before becoming just the second team to win at the Estadio Martínez Valero this season.

The result, at least for now, leaves Barça four points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who face Rayo Vallecano in a local derby on Sunday.

 

Lamine early doors

Two teams that play some of the prettiest football in La Liga served a veritable spectacle of attacking football. But was Barça who were turning it into danger early on and it only took six minutes for Dani Olmo to pounce on an error in the Elche midfield and send a delicious long ball forward to Lamine Yamal. The teenager rounded his former colleague Iñaki Peña and Barça were already off the mark.

There were plenty of chances for Barça to double their lead before the home side made an impact of their own. Álvaro Rodríguez, moments after giving the Barça defence their first major scare, found himself through on goal. Eric García gave good chase but the Elche forward got the shot in and Joan García was beaten.

Torres restores the lead

The energy from both sides was awesome, but it was Barça who were getting the chances. And they were flowing thick and fast. Ferran Torres had the clearest, slamming his shot onto the bar and somehow managing the head the rebound onto the woodwork as well, but justice was finally served when the same man at last claimed Barça’s second.

A somewhat bizarre goal. Frenkie de Jong did fine work in the build-up and delivered a sweet assist for Torres to convert, but the celebrations were initially muted. The general assumption was that VAR would overrule it or offside. But no, the goal was good, and that was Barça 2-1 up.

That’s how things stood at half-time. Barça leading, but based on the number of chances they’d had, they should have been running away with it. Shot after shot after shot, including Fermin Lopez skying a far easier chance than the ones who normally scores, but somehow or other Elche were still in the game.

Rashford seals it

The intensity dropped but the overall script didn’t change after the restart. An agonising number of gorgeous Barça attacks were defying the laws of nature by not resulting in goals…

And though Elche were barely able to get the ball out of their own half, the danger was always there. If Adam El Mokhtari hadn’t made an utter mess of a simple finish, it could have been 2-2 before Barça finally made it 3-1.

Lamine Yamal was having an absolute beauty of a game, and the goal was all his work as he collected the ball on the touchline and raced like a gazelle down the right wing before sliding the ball into the killer zone.

Rashford, who had struck inches wide just moments before was there to finish off the job and at long last Barça fans could breathe a little more easily. Three more points for the collection, and thought can now turn to Albacete and the Copa del Rey on Thursday.

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