Barcelona have become runaway league leaders in Spain after going 11 points clear at the top of the La Liga table ahead of second-placed rivals Real Madrid thanks to Pedri’s 18th-minute goal against Villarreal last night.
The Blaugrana started the match on the front foot and Robert Lewandowski could’ve put them in front as early as the 3rd minute had he not shot straight at Villarreal’s goalkeeper Pepe Reina to block his effort.
Barcelona kept coming and were not kept at bay for too long, as the Polish striker teed up Pedri in the 18th minute. The Spanish star made no mistake with the ball to put it past Reina giving his team the early lead.
Towards the end of the first time, Villarreal got a chance to equalize but missed it when Jose Morales put his effort into the side netting. In the second half, more chances were created by both teams but none was converted so the score remained 1-0 until the final whistle at Estadio de la Ceramica.
The win put Barcelona in a safe place at the summit on 56 points but piles more pressure on defending champions Real Madrid in second. The defeat leaves Villarreal in eighth on 31 points.
Barcelona have now won 11 consecutive matches in all competitions, which puts Xavi level with Pep Guardiola as Barca managers that recorded 11 successive wins. Their next opponent is Manchester United in the Europa League play-off on Thursday.
Should Barca win the game, Xavi will have set the record.
