La Liga round-up: Pedri’s strike helps Barcelona pip Villarreal, Memphis Depay clinches late winner for Atletico against Celta Vigo | OneFootball

Barcelona stretched their stellar winning streak to 11 games with a narrow victory over Villarreal, while Memphis Depay netted his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a thrilling encounter against Celta Vigo.

Here is the summary of results on Matchday 21.

Villarreal 0-1 Barcelona: Pedri’s impressive scoring form continues

Barcelona continued their stellar run with another clinical 1-0 victory against Villarreal away from home.

Pedri’s early strike eventually made the difference, with the Catalan giants proving too good for the Yellow Submarine.

The prodigious midfielder continues to showcase his goal-scoring prowess, as the last night’s strike marked his sixth of the season – his personal best in a single season since joining the Blaugrana.

Xavi’s men also established an 11-point cushion at the summit ahead of Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.

It was also a night of records for Xavi, who equalled Pep Guardiola’s 11-match winning streak as Barcelona manager.

Barca will now shift their focus to Europa League as they host Manchester United this week in an enthralling encounter.

Celta Vigo 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Depay leaves it late, Oblak the saviour

Atletico Madrid snatched a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, with Memphis Depay scoring his maiden goal for Los Rojiblancos at the death.

However, the real saviour was Jan Oblak, who produced a terrific display between the sticks. Notably, he pulled off an impossible save in the first half against Iago Aspas.

Despite spilling in the first attempt, the Slovak goalkeeper rushed back to shove the ball narrowly off the goal line.

Aspas was also gutted to see his free-kick – as a result of Stefan Savic’s red card – hit the woodwork.

With growing criticism over his performances, Depay announced his arrival by scoring his first-ever goal in a crucial game for Colcheneros.

Sevilla 2-0 Real Mallorca: Sampaoli’s return to winning ways, Bryan Gil shines

Sevilla bounced back from their heavy defeat against Barcelona with an emphatic 2-0 victory at home against Mallorca.

Youssef En-Nesyri broke the deadlock around the half-hour mark with a brilliant finish before Bryan Gil scored the winning strike in the second half.

Just into his second game since his loan move from Tottenham Hotspur, Gil has hit the ground running at Sevilla.

The Spaniard can be a key figure for Sampaoli’s side for the remainder of the season as they bid to finish inside the European places.

Valencia 1-2 Athletic Bilbao: Williams and Sancet inspire visitors to a comeback win

Athletic Bilbao picked up their second straight win in La Liga after edging out Valencia 2-1 at the Mestalla Stadium.

The Lions were put on the back foot after Samu Castillejo’s opener in the 17th minute before they pulled off a turnaround with goals from Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet.

Williams netted the equaliser after a fine solo finish before assisting Oihan Sancet’s winner in the 72nd minute.

Sancet has been in red-hot form as the goal marked his eighth of the season, already bettering the previous season’s tally. He also continues to show that he is among the best-emerging midfielders in Europe.

However, the unsung hero of the game was goalkeeper Unai Simon, who made a string of top-quality saves to keep Los Che at bay.

Ernesto Valverde’s men have moved to seventh place in the standings, just a point off a European spot.

Los Che’s woes have deepened as they are third bottom in the table, fighting relegation.

Other results

Cadiz 2-0 GironaAlmeria 2-3 Real BetisGetafe 1-1 Rayo VallecanoOsasuna 0-0 Real Valladolid

Upcoming games

Espanyol vs Real SociedadElche vs Real Madrid