BARCELONA: A first-half strike from Pedri gave Barcelona a 1-0 win over Villareal at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday to extend their lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga to 11 points and keep them on course for a first league title since 2019.
The champions, who won the Club World Cup on Saturday, face Elche in midweek to try and bite back into the growing gap.
In a game punctuated by some crunching tackles, Robert Lewandowski teed up Pedri in a brilliant exchange that set up the 20-year-old to clip the ball into the net in the 18th minute.
The win leaves Barca top of the standings on 56 points after 21 games, while Villareal are in eighth position on 31 points, seven off LaLiga’s fourth Champions League place, currently occupied by Atletico Madrid.
Earlier Memphis Depay scored his first Atletico goal as Diego Simeone’s side beat Celta Vigo 1-0.
With a draw looking the most likely result after both teams spurned chances, Depay was in the right place at the right time when a blocked shot fell at his feet before the Dutch forward turned and fired on the spot to score in the 89th minute.
The defeat leaves Celta Vigo provisionally 14th, unable to add a third consecutive victory to their wins over Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.
Elsewhere Rayo Vallecano, sixth, were unable to beat lowly Getafe in a Madrid derby, sharing a 1-1 draw, while Real Valladolid and Osasuna drew 0-0.
