Barcelona 4-1 Alaves
Barcelona went three points clear at the top of La Liga today, thanks to a comfortable win over Alaves as Luis Suarez put in a man-of-the-match performance.
The Uruguayan hitman turned provider with three assists, before rounding off his day with a goal of his own from the penalty spot.
The win puts a little daylight between the champions and the chasers, and now Ernesto Valverde’s team can put their feet up for the winter break and watch the last La Liga 2019 results of the year come in.
Unless Real Madrid score a hatful, Barcelona will finish 2019 at the top of the pile again.
Highlights of the game
After drawing a blank in the midweek El Clasico, which ended in a goalless draw, Barcelona came out for this clash on the front foot and were ahead after a quarter of an hour.
Alaves were playing a high line and had sprung two successful offside traps to catch Arturo Vidal and Lionel Messi, but they left Antoine Griezmann alone to collect a ball from Luis Suarez and the Frenchman fired into the bottom-right corner to score his seventh league goal of the season.
There were few chances at either end in the first half, and Alaves’ only effort was a wayward shot from Mubarak Wakaso after good work from Ruben Duarte.
Messi almost doubled Barca’s lead when Griezmann broke quickly and crossed for the Argentine, but his close-range effort flew narrowly wide. Messi had another shot from outside the penalty area, charged down.
And right on the stroke of half-time, Barca took a firm grasp on the game as Luis Suarez earned his second assist, feeding Arturo Vidal on the right side of the box, and his low cross shot gave Alaves keeper Fernando Pachecho no chance.
At the beginning of the second half, Alaves continued to play a high line, catching Jordi Alba and opening scorer Griezmann offside, but it’s a dangerous game to play against a side which can break so incisively.
Lucas Perez has been Alaves’ biggest attacking threat so far this season, coming into this game with eight league goals already in the bag, while strike partner Joselu started on the bench, having scored seven so far.
Perez didn’t have a sniff in the first half and he continued to toil in the second. But Alaves did halve the deficit on 57 minutes, and it was midfielder Pere Pons who headed home from a Duarte cross.
Two minutes later, Aleix Vidal forced Ter Stegen to make a save and, as Alaves sniffed a chance to get something, Duarte headed a chance narrowly wide. But the underdogs’ hopes were dashed on 69 minutes when Suarez claimed a hat-trick of assists, teeing up Messi to arrow a long-range effort low into the corner.
And Suarez got the reward for all his selfless play on 75 minutes when Martin Aquirregabiria handled in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Suarez stepped up and fired the spot kick low into the corner to round off the perfect day.
Key statistics
Alaves came into this match winless in eight away matches and by half-time, they looked set to make it nine. Even though the Blaugrana had 74 per cent possession, they only managed four shots on goal, though crucially the two on target both hit the net.
Barca put the game to bed with two more in the second half while Pere Pons’ goal was no more than a consolation.
Believe it or not, Barca only had four attempts on target, but Pachecho had no chance with any of them, and Messi’s 13th goal of the season makes him the league’s leading scorer.
What’s next?
All eyes with be at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow when Real Madrid take on Athletic Bilbao. The visitors are in seventh place in the table and well in the hunt for Europe.
The latest La Liga 2019 betting odds here at SBOBET have the Blaugrana as clear favourites to retain their title, but Los Blancos are not letting them get away just yet and a win over Athletic Bilbao will draw them level on points again.
After the Christmas break, it’s the Catalan derby on the 4th of January when the Blaugrana meet local rivals Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium. The hosts are having a wretched season and are rooted at the bottom of the table.
Next up for Alaves, they are at home to Real Betis and that will be a hard-fought game. Los Verdiblancos have climbed to mid-table after a decent run of results.
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