Barcelona retain their three-point lead at the top of the LaLiga table, after claiming a 4-1 win over Girona at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Sunday afternoon.
Hansi Flick’s side took the lead in the dying moments of the first half though a scrappy own goal from Ladislav Krejčí, though Girona were able to restore parity in el Derbi Català less than ten minutes after the break when Arnaut Danjuma picked out the bottom corner.
But Robert Lewandowski was on hand to turn home from a Fermín Lopez cross, restoring Barça’s lead on a sunny afternoon in Montjuïc before adding the third of the afternoon inside the final quarter of an hour. A late strike from Ferran Torres completed the rout.
As it happened
A bright start in el Derbi Català saw Barcelona force the majority of the early chances at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, with Gavi’s cutback for Fermín Lopez inside the opening five minutes a sign of their intent.
It wouldn’t be a routine victory against mid-table opposition, though. Viktor Tsygankov was a livewire amidst the visitors’ attacking line and did well to breach the Barça defence to connect with a cross from Yáser Asprilla, only to blaze his effort high and wide of the target.
Hansi Flick’s Barça thought they’d been provided with an excellent opportunity to take the lead when Asprilla hacked down Fermín on the edge of the area – but it wasn’t to be. Pulido Santana was sent to the pitchside monitor to see if the challenge had happened just inside the box, but ended up identifying that Fermín had instead committed the foul and awarded a free-kick in Girona’s favour.
Barça were not discouraged though, and upped the tempo as they pushed for the opener against their Catalan rivals. Lamine Yamal was twice denied, thundering one effort into the crowd before seeing another denied by Paulo Gazzaniga, who was called into action once again to deny a fierce header from Ronald Araújo in the 22nd minute.
Jules Koundé thought he’d found the opener inside the final five minutes of the first half after picking out the bottom corner, only to be denied by the offside flag, but there was still time for the Blaugrana to take the lead before the interval when a free-kick delivered into the area from Yamal was turned home inadvertently by a deflection off Ladislav Krejčí.
Sunday’s hosts sought to double their lead almost instantly when play resumed for the second half, with Robert Lewandowski denied from close range by Daley Blind before Yamal saw a strike fly wide of the near post.
Girona, perhaps spurred on by Blind’s crucial intervention, were able to found an equaliser against the run of play. The Dutchman’s ball forward picked out Arnaut Danjuma, with the former Bournemouth man able to roll a low effort past Wojciech Szczęsny to restore parity.
But parity did not last long before Lewandowski bagged his first of the afternoon to drag Barça back into the lead, turning a Fermín cross past Gazzaniga to ensure the hosts would remain three points clear at the top of LaLiga.
The Polish forward then netted his 25th goal of the season with a powerful finish into the bottom corner having been teed up by Frenkie De Jong, and with Barça comfortably in control, the goals kept flowing.
Ferran Torres, introduced as a 67th-minute substitute, etched his name onto the afternoon’s scoresheet inside the final five minutes, tucking a left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
Barcelona came just inches from capping off an excellent performance with a fifth goal in the dying moments of the match when a curling strike from Yamal rattled the top corner of the woodwork, denying the 17-year-old a goal despite a fine individual performance.
The lineups
BAR: Szczęsny; Martín, Martínez, Araújo, Koundé; Pedri, García; Gavi, Fermín, Yamal; Lewandowski
GIR: Gazzaniga; Gutierrez, Krejčí, Blind, Frances; Asprilla, Herrera, Arthur, Arnau, Tsygankov; Danjuma