Barcelona went six points clear at the top of La Liga on Sunday night thanks to a 1-0 victory over Getafe at the Camp Nou as Pedri scored the only goal of the game.
With Real Madrid still to play the lead could be cut to three points but, for now, the narrow win has put the Blaugrana in the box seat. A one goal victory over a team which is outside the bottom three on goal difference alone maybe isn’t so impressive, but three points is a big prize no matter how you achieve them.
20 year old Pedri was the hero, firing home a cross from Raphinha on 35 minutes and that was enough to win the game. And it was a tough task as, despite having 65 per cent possession, the league leaders only managed eight shots throughout the game to the visitors’ seven.
But sometimes there’s nothing better than a hard earned 1-0.
Five on the bounce for Sociedad
In other La Liga 2023 news Real Sociedad cemented their third place with a comfortable 2-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano, a result which let the top two know Sociedad aren’t going away any time soon after recording a fifth consecutive league win. And it was another great weekend for Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth who scored his fifth goal in the last five games for La Real as they went seven points clear of Atletico Madrid in fourth.
Imanol Alguacil’s side followed up their win in the Basque derby last week by going ahead on just 15 minutes when David Silva put a chance on a plate for Sorloth which he was never going to decline. The hosts fought back but Sociedad held firm and put the game out of reach when Ander Barrenetxea popped up at the far post to poke home a flick on from a corner.
The win took La Real level on points with Real Madrid, though the Basque club had played two games more.
Atleti back with a bang
Atletico Madrid moved up into the top four with a convincing 3-0 win over Real Valladolid when they blew away their visitors with a first half blitz. It was a clinical display by Los Rojiblancos who allowed Valladolid the majority of possession but won the shot counts by 18 to seven and eight to one on target. It was a Diego Simeone master class, but with more goals than usual!
Antoine Griezmann set up Alvaro Morata for the first, on 18 minutes, and the Frenchman doubled the lead with a clever back-heel five minutes later. And it was three goals in ten minutes when Mario Hermoso tested the Valladolid keeper with a header and then he followed up by tapping in the rebound.
New recruit Memphis Depay made his first appearance for Atleti following his transfer from Barcelona on Friday reported on here at SBOTOP, and he looked lively after coming on with 15 minutes to play. Depay could become a key player in Los Rojiblancos run-in as they aim to keep hold of a Champions League spot.
Rakitic fires Sevilla to crucial win
Sevilla moved out of the bottom three thanks to a 1-0 victory over relegation threatened Cadiz, but they left it late to grab all three points. It looked like the 37,000 fans at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium were about to suffer more frustration as injury time loomed but they were saved by VAR with a helping hand from Cadiz winger Ivan Alejo. The 27 year old came on as a 70th minutes substitute as the visitors looked to see the game out but he earned an 83rd minute yellow card for a nasty foul on Ivan Rakitic.
That wasn’t his last contribution and, when VAR picked up a handball in the penalty area, Alejo received a second yellow and his marching orders. Rakitic exacted the ultimate revenge, slotting his 89th minute spot-kick into the bottom right corner to lift the roof off the stadium. It was no more than the hosts deserved, having totally dominated the match, with 75 per cent possession and 17 shots to four, but they were kept out by Cadiz keeper Jeremias Ledesma who made eight saves before finally losing out to Rakitic. The latest La Liga 2023 betting odds reckon Sevilla will finish mid table or higher, but this was a crucial five minutes for the club.
So Barcelona went six points clear after toughing it out against Getafe; and now it’s over to Real Madrid who will round off the weekend with a difficult trip to the Basque to take on Athletic Bilbao. Anything other than an away victory will make it difficult for Los Blancos to come out on top in May.
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