Barcelona strengthened their grip on second place in La Liga thanks to a 2-0 win over already relegated Almeria on Thursday night.
Xavi's side were well beaten by Girona at the start of the month but have now won back-to-back games since then, with their Catalan neighbors also relegated. Overall, it means that the gap back to third place Girona is four points with two games left.
Fermin Lopez scored both goals, one in the middle of the half, to emphasize his growing importance.
How the game happened
As expected, Barcelona enjoyed dominating possession from the opening stages of the tournament in Andalusia. Robert Lewandowski had a shot saved in the first few minutes, and the Pole quickly sent a shot over the bar as he went through the goal and tried to force goalkeeper Luis Maximiano.
The goal was a product of that early dominance, when Lopez arrived unmarked in the box to head home a curling cross from 17-year-old left-back Hector Fort.
Almeria didn't do much to test Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the first quarter of the game, but they threw away a good chance to equalize when Leo Baptistao broke through after a quick counter attack and somehow missed the goal completely.
Ter Stegen had to save from Anthony Lozano soon after, before Barca's dominance was restored and Lamine Yamal hit the post from a narrow angle. However, Almeria returned the favor and hit the woodwork in another game at the end, Adri Embarda denied it.
At the start of the second half, Lozano couldn't believe that he pulled a good chance in the middle of the penalty area wide of the post. But neither team was able to create much in the way of real chances until Lopez doubled his tally and Barcelona's lead with a quarter of the game remaining.
Sergi Roberto's throw from the left channel made it possible, cutting the ball to the onrushing Lopez just inside the box. His first finish was unstoppable as the plane came in.
The 2-0 win saw Xavi make a number of changes, withdrawing Robert Lewandowski (again) for one, and shortly after handing Vitor Roque his first minutes of the month.
Joao Felix, who entered the Barca area, could have won 3-0 when the ball luckily broke to him in the box. He was able to turn under the pressure we were holding but grabbed a goal from close range, hitting the side netting instead of testing Maximiano.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6/10 – Especially the viewer.
RB: Jules Kounde – 7/10 – Strong defensive performance. It managed to go forward again.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6/10 – The most important experience of the first team.
CB: Inigo Martinez – 7/10 – He played a big role in developing the ball in the attacking areas.
LB: Hector Fort – 8/10 – He gave a good account of himself, handled the ball well and got help.
CM: Fermin Lopez – 9/10 – We fully justified the manager's decision to return him to the starting XI with two very well taken goals.
CM: Sergi Roberto (c) – 7/10 – He came into the side in place of the suspended Ilkay Gundogan. Set up a second goal just before you come out uncomfortable after the previous collision.
CM: Pedri – 7/10 – He kept the ball well and was always looking for spaces to use passes.
RW: Lamine Yamal – 7/10 – A good source of creativity on the right, although why Xavi insists on starting every game ahead of what could be a busy summer is questionable.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 4/10 – A disappointing night that ended with little engagement and another early withdrawal.
LW: Ferran Torres – 6/10 – He had a few chances and fired his shot wide.
What you are holding
SUB: Andreas Christensen (69' for Roberto) – 6/10
SUB: Joao Felix (69' for Lewandowski) – 6/10
SUB: Vitor Roque (73' for Torres) – 5/10
SUB: Joao Cancelo (73' for Fort) – 6/10
SUB: Oriol Romeu (83' for Pedri) – 6/10
Subs used: Diego Kochen (GK), Inaki Pena (GK), Marcos Alonso, Marc Casado, Raphinha.
The manager
Xavi – 7/10 – This was not the best performance from Barcelona, but the manager used his team well as a whole. It looks like he might send a message to Lewandowski before next season.
Best player – Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)
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