Barcelona extended their lead over Real Madrid to four points after defeating a 10-man Villarreal side.
Villarreal put up a strong fight despite being a player down for over 50 minutes, but they couldn’t break through Juan García’s wall. Barcelona scored one goal in each half to widen the gap with Real Madrid.
Hansi Flick’s team secured a 2-0 victory away from home on Sunday. Rafinha put the league leaders ahead from the penalty spot in the first half, and Laminé Yamal doubled the lead after the break.
The Catalans ended the year on a high, claiming their eighth consecutive win in La Liga. After 18 matches, Barcelona sits atop the table with 15 wins and one draw, totaling 46 points. Real Madrid is second with 42 points from the same number of games. Atlético Madrid follows with 37 points, and Villarreal is fourth with 35 points from 16 matches.
Villarreal had slightly over 20% possession and managed 13 shots, with only five on target. Barcelona, meanwhile, had 19 shots, five of which were on target.
Barcelona needed some time to find their rhythm. Villarreal had early chances in the first nine minutes, with Nicolas Pepe missing a close-range header and Ayoze Pérez’s low shot being saved by Juan García.
In the 10th minute, Rafinha earned a penalty after being fouled in the box and converted it to put Barcelona ahead. Two minutes later, a powerful left-footed shot from Rafinha hit the crossbar.
Barcelona defender Jules Koundé almost gifted Villarreal a goal when trying to clear a shot, but the referee flagged offside, stopping their celebration. In the 36th minute, Alejandro Balde’s misplaced back pass nearly put Barcelona in trouble, but García saved Buchanan’s shot.
Barcelona couldn’t create many more first-half chances. In the 39th minute, Villarreal’s Renato Veiga received a straight red card for a harsh foul on Yamal, leaving his team with ten men.
Barcelona increased the pressure with a numerical advantage. In the 57th minute, Fermin López’s attempt was saved by Villarreal’s goalkeeper.
In the 62nd minute, coach Hansi Flick brought on Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford for Ferran Torres and Fermin López, and Yamal extended Barcelona’s lead immediately. After Lewandowski’s close-range shot was blocked, Yamal controlled a pass from Frenkie de Jong and slotted it between two defenders into the net — his seventh La Liga goal of the season.
Villarreal goalkeeper Juan García made incredible saves later, including stopping Rafa Marin’s close-range shot and a double save in the 76th minute.
In the 79th minute, French defender Koundé left the field with discomfort and was replaced by Marc Casado. Late in the game, Rashford had a great chance after receiving a pass from de Jong, but his low shot lacked power and was cleared by a Villarreal defender.
Barcelona will start the new year with a La Liga clash against Espanyol on January 3.
