Barcelona La Liga win sees Raphinha and Lamine Yamal fire the Catalans four points clear after a 2-0 victory at Villarreal

Barcelona moved four points clear at the top of La Liga after Raphinha and Lamine Yamal inspired a 2-0 victory over 10-man Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday.

Also read: Davido Sparks Buzz With Bold Super Eagles AFCON Bet

Brazilian winger Raphinha opened the scoring in the 12th minute from the penalty spot after drawing a foul from Santi Comesana, before teenager Lamine Yamal sealed the Barcelona La Liga win with a composed finish midway through the second half.

Villarreal’s challenge weakened shortly before halftime when defender Renato Veiga was shown a straight red card for a reckless late challenge on Yamal, leaving the hosts with 10 men for the remainder of the contest.

The result handed Hansi Flick’s side an eighth consecutive league victory and restored Barcelona’s cushion over second-placed Real Madrid, who had beaten Sevilla a day earlier.

Barcelona dominated possession but endured spells of defensive discomfort, relying on goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who produced a series of outstanding saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Jules Kounde prevented an early equaliser by blocking Ayoze Perez’s effort, while Garcia later denied Tajon Buchanan after an error from Alejandro Balde.

Raphinha struck the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort shortly after scoring and remained a constant threat, repaying Flick’s vocal defence of him following his omission from FIFA’s Best XI.

Barcelona eventually doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when Frenkie de Jong set up Yamal, who calmly slotted home to cap another assured display from the 18-year-old.

Despite late pressure, Barcelona closed out the match comfortably, recording a third consecutive clean sheet across all competitions.

“We finish the year as leaders, which was our objective,” De Jong told DAZN. “It was not easy, but it was a deserved win.”

Villarreal, who suffered their first home league defeat of the season, remain fourth on the table, having been overtaken earlier in the day by Atletico Madrid.

Also read: Davido Sparks Buzz With Bold Super Eagles AFCON Bet

“We are hurt by the result, but proud of the team’s effort,” Villarreal captain Dani Parejo said, as La Liga heads into the winter break.