Barcelona scored three times in 21 minutes in the second half as they beat relegation-troubled Sevilla by 3-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday. With the win, Barca move eight points clear at the top of the LaLiga table ahead of second-place Real Madrid.
Jordi Alba opened the scoring just before the hour mark after good work from Franck Kessie. That forced Sevilla to open up and Barca soon took advantage of the space that afforded them.
Raphinha created the second for Gavi and then added the third himself from Alba’s cross to complete the scoring and extend Barca’s winning streak in all competitions to seven games, their longest since the 2019-20 season.
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Rapid reaction
1. Barca open commanding lead at the top of LaLiga
Barca took full advantage of Real Madrid‘s surprise 1-0 loss at Mallorca earlier on Sunday to move firmly into the driver’s seat to win LaLiga. After a first half in which they failed to break down a Sevilla side that sat deep, Barcelona opened the floodgates after the break.
Alba broke the deadlock after a brilliant pass from Kessie, who had replaced the injured Sergio Busquets earlier in the game. That was the only downside for Barca here. With Manchester United in the Europa League around the corner — and Ousmane Dembele already injured — they could do without losing any more players.
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Once in the lead, Barca began to enjoy themselves. Jules Kounde‘s long pass found Raphinha in the 70th minute and the Brazilian’s clever pass set up Gavi for the second. Raphinha completed the scoring himself after good work from Frenkie de Jong and Alba.
It marks a remarkable 12 months for Barca under manager Xavi Hernandez. At this stage last season, Barca were 17 points behind leaders Real Madrid, albeit with a game in hand. Now, they are eight points clear and a first league title since 2019 is very much within their sights.
2. Signings Raphinha and Kessie get their moment
While Robert Lewandowski, Andreas Christensen and Kounde have seamlessly slotted into this Barca side, there has been more scrutiny on fellow summer signings Raphinha and Kessie. Both impressed against Sevilla, though, with performances would could signal a turning point in their Barca careers.
