La Liga leaders Barcelona faced in-form Villarreal this afternoon

Image credit: FC Barcelona

La Liga leaders Barcelona took on fourth-place Villarreal this afternoon at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Barça entered the game one point clear of second-place Real Madrid, and were eyeing up the opportunity to move four points clear in first. Villareal, on the other hand, were looking to move closer to Real Madrid, who were seven points ahead before kick-off.

Atletico Madrid's afternoon win vs Girona meant that Villarreal dropped to fourth in the table before their match vs the league leaders, and were two points behind Diego Simeone's side.

Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo were three notable midfield absentees for the away side, while Villarreal were without eight players.

Villarreal have the third-best home record in the league, while Barcelona have the second-best away record this campaign. The two sides entered the game after winning all of their last five La Liga games, so one side was guaranteed to lose that record.

Barcelona had won all of their last six matches in all competitions, while Villarreal had lost their previous two games. One was in the Copa del Rey, and the other was in the UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona started the game quickly and went 1-0 after 12 minutes. Raphinha scored from the penalty spot, scoring his third goal in his last two appearances. It was a disappointing start from Villarreal, and their task of getting back into the game was made harder, as Renato Veiga was sent off after 39 minutes.

Lamine Yamal doubled Barça’s advantage and sealed all three points with his

The final score was Villarreal 0-2 Barcelona, with the away team winning nine of their last 10.

The victory puts Barcelona top of La Liga by four points, ahead of Real Madrid. Villarreal, who have two games in hand over the three teams above them in the league, will be hoping to win against Elche in their next match to end a run of three winless games.