Barcelona continued to play their role as La Liga’s entertainers as they beat Celta Vigo 4-2 on Sunday to move within three points of leaders Real Madrid. Celta were a constant threat on the counter, catching out the Blaugrana high line constantly, but the Barca attacking trifecta of Marcus Rashford, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal proved too strong for Os Celestes.
The game began at a frantic pace with both Celta and Barcelona exchanging attacks, but it was the visitors who struck the first blow. Known for the spectacular, Fermin Lopez fired a hopeful effort from outside the box which struck the outstretched arm of former team-mate Marcos Alonso, earning a penalty after nine minutes. Lewandowski made no mistake from the spot, but Celta would respond immediately as Sergio Carreira raced through from his own half and made no mistake one-on-one with Wojciech Szcesney.
Barca kept coming forwards and, after 37 minutes, Rashford was on hand to provide Lewandowski with his second of the game, the Manchester United loanee’s in-swinging cross meeting the Polish forward’s boot to fire under Ionut Radu in the Celta goal. Again, though, the visitors defence could not hang on to a lead as five minutes later, a long ball over the top allowed Ferran Jutgla to scamper beyond Alejandro Balde, and his cutback to Borja Iglesias on the edge of the area was swept into the top corner.
With the first half heading into injury time, Rashford was handed the ball and fashioned an ounce of space down the left, cut back and, via a deflection from Ilaix Moriba, unintentionally found Yamal at the back post. With his weaker foot, the teenager fired in at the near post to put Barcelona in front once again.
Frenkie de Jong stepped up after the interval to take the sting out of the game, with the Dutchman dictating in the middle of the pitch, and the visitors began to turn the screw before Rashford swung in another cross, this time from a corner, and picked out Lewandowski, who glanced home his third. De Jong did see red after picking up a second booking in stoppage time, but the Catalans otherwise saw out the game with relative ease.
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