Barcelona secure comfortable win to extend their La Liga lead | OneFootball

Barcelona strolled to a comfortable 1-0 victory away to Villarreal, moving 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga for now.

Here is what went down at La Cerámica.

Scorers: Pedri 18′

Barça’s intent was clear from the start, as they took the game to the hosts. With full control of the tempo and the possession, the Catalan club struck first, and in style.

After a superb move of one-touch passing, Pedri slotted home from close range to open the scoring, and force Villarreal out of their shell.

The hosts slowly worked their way back into the game, despite Barça remaining the more threatening team on the break.

The midfield battle began to lean towards Barcelona as the second half wore on, giving the Blaugrana the control they asserted in first half once again.

All the while, Barça’s league leading defence remained stubborn in front of Marc-André ter Stegen, keeping any potential Villarreal surge at bay.

With their lead intact, Xavi’s men slowed the game down to a snail’s pace and picked their moments to go forward.

Villarreal’s push to equalise bore no fruit, thanks in large part to the solid Barcelona rearguard.

It looked as if Villarreal snatched a leveller at the death when Samuel Chukwueze stabbed home from close range, but the Barça blushes were spared by the linesman’s flag for offside.

As a result, the Nou Camp side secured all three points, extending their healthy lead at the top of the table.