Barcelona tighten the grip on title race with 1-0 win against Mallorca | OneFootball

Barcelona extended their lead to seven points at the top of La Liga after edging out Real Mallorca 1-0 last night.

The pressure was back on the Catalan giants after title rivals Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao over the weekend.

Barca had momentum following the thrilling comeback win against Celta Vigo, but Robert Lewandowski’s injury stacked the odds against them.

However, the Blaugrana produced a clinical performance, with Dani Olmo rising to the occasion in the Polish striker’s absence.

Hansi Flick deployed Olmo as a number ten, and he repaid the faith by scoring the winning strike.

The former RB Leipzig star came close to making the breakthrough early in the game but failed to capitalise on Lamine Yamal’s brilliant pass.

Olmo drew first blood after the break with a precise left-footed finish.

Ansu Fati was also handed a rare start, and he looked sharp for large spells despite not scoring.

Barca could have decimated the visitors but for goalkeeper Leo Roman, who pulled off a flurry of top-class saves, including a stunning effort to deny Yamal.

Pedri ran the show in the midfield, displaying his stellar consistency this season.

The Spaniard created six big chances and made 18 recoveries, the highest in a La Liga game this season.

Barca will hope Madrid drop points against Getafe tonight so they can take a step closer to the title.

Flick’s side face Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday before playing Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-final first leg in midweek.