Lewandowski, Barcelona bounce back in style from Clasico loss

Barcelona bounced backmost from their Clasico loss to Real Madrid successful benignant arsenic they cruised to a 3-0 location LaLiga win implicit Villarreal with a brace from Robert Lewandowski connected Thursday.

Xavi Hernandez's broadside remained 2nd successful the array connected 25 points, 3 down Real Madrid and 3 wide of third-placed Real Sociedad.

Barcelona scored 3 times successful 7 first-half minutes starting with Lewandowski's onslaught from wrong the country successful the 31st.

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The Poland striker accrued the pb 4 minutes aboriginal with a precise curling changeable from the borderline of the container to decorativeness disconnected a counter-attack aft Pedri stole the shot from an hostile adjacent to the centre circle.

Ansu Fati scored Barca's 3rd 3 minutes later, placing a close-range changeable into the bare nett from a debased transverse by Ferran Torres.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. Lewandowski, Barcelona respond from caller results

A hard week had cranked up the unit connected Barcelona. A gully with Internazionale connected Oct. 12 near them connected the verge of Champions League elimination, followed by an disheartening loss successful the Clasico to Real Madrid connected Sunday. Barca, though, recovered a much-needed effect successful beforehand of a assemblage of conscionable implicit 70,000 astatine Camp Nou against Villarreal connected Thursday.

Three goals successful 7 first-half minutes proved capable to assistance the gloom that had accompanied the squad implicit this past week and led manager Xavi Hernandez admit helium could beryllium retired of a occupation if helium doesn't triumph a trophy this season. Robert Lewandowski scored the archetypal 2 to instrumentality his tally for the run to 16. The interaction and rotation for his archetypal extremity were bettered by the decorativeness for his 2nd conscionable 4 minutes later. Ansu added the third.

From that constituent on, Barca looked similar a squad brimming with assurance again. Frenkie de Jong was sublime astatine the basal of the midfield, Pedri filtered passes betwixt the lines and, if Villarreal did endanger to break, Jules Kounde's betterment gait ensured they did not succeed. The triumph means Barca determination backmost to wrong 3 points of leaders Madrid, that decision successful Sunday's Clasico inactive their lone nonaccomplishment successful 10 league games this season.

2. Ansu, Torres crook vigor up connected Raphinha, Dembele

When the large games person travel astir this season, Xavi has opted for Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to flank Lewandowski. However, aft a disappointing week, helium turned to young Spanish forwards Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres, who had combined for the consolation extremity disconnected the seat against Madrid astatine the weekend.

They combined again present to adhd Barca's third. Torres showed superb footwork to make a pat successful for Ansu, albeit astatine the 2nd clip of asking. It was his 3rd league extremity of the season, which is the aforesaid magnitude Dembele and Raphinha person managed combined -- and successful overmuch much crippled time.

It represents a bully quandary for Xavi. Ansu and Ferran thin to connection much power and some similar to travel into cardinal positions. Dembele and Raphinha are much earthy wingers and possibly suit a much end-to-end game. It's besides bully quality for Spain manager Luis Enrique, who volition person been acrophobic by Ansu's and Torres' deficiency of minutes astatine the commencement of the season.

3. Villarreal's play hindered by dense heart

Unai Emery's broadside were ne'er apt to triumph astatine Camp Nou, but the mode of their archetypal fractional illness volition person alarmed their coach. Prior to Thursday, they had conceded conscionable 3 times successful 9 league games. In 7 chaotic first-half minutes, they conceded 3 much here, their debased artifact taken apart.

The decision was insignificant successful the wider strategy of things, though, aft Villarreal confirmed the decease of vice president Jose Manuel Llaneza earlier successful the day. That affected their mentation for the game. A location lucifer against Almeria connected Sunday represents a bully accidental to wage tribute to Llaneza and rediscover immoderate form.

Player ratings

Barcelona: Ter Stegen 6; Roberto 6, Kounde 7, Alonso 6, Alba 7; De Jong 8, Gavi 7, Pedri 7; Torres 7, Lewandowski 8, Ansu 7
Subs: Busquets 6, Bellerin 6, Raphinha 6, Dembele 6, Pique 6

Villarreal: Rulli 5; Kiko 6, Albiol 5, Torres 5, Pedraza 5; Pino 6, Parejo 6, Morlanes 5, Baena 5; Danjuma 5, Jackson 5
Subs: Mojica 6, Morlanes 6, Trigueros 6, Moreno 6, Mandi 6

Best and worst performers

BEST: Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona.

Lewandowski would beryllium the casual option, but De Jong deserves recognition. There has been a statement astir whether helium tin win Sergio Busquets arsenic Barca's antiaircraft midfielder and helium showed present helium tin run conscionable good down Pedri and Gavi. He intercepted, drove guardant with the shot and completed 95% of his passes. Camp Nou sang his sanction erstwhile helium was taken disconnected for a breather.

WORST: Arnaut Danjuma, Villarreal.

You could instrumentality your prime of Villarreal players. The defence switched disconnected successful the archetypal fractional but portion they conceded three, Arnaut Danjuma looked the astir retired of place. The striker scored a brace successful the triumph implicit Osasuna connected Monday arsenic helium makes his mode backmost from wounded but struggled astatine Camp Nou. Emery agreed and hauled him disconnected astatine the break.

Highlights and notable moments

Ahead of the match, a trio of Barcelona stars -- Lewandowski, Alexia Putellas, and Gavi -- amusement disconnected their accolades received at the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony successful Paris connected Monday.

Putellas made past by winning the Ballon d'Or Feminin for a 2nd successive year, becoming the archetypal pistillate to triumph the grant twice since it launched successful 2018. Gavi won the Kopa Trophy, the grant presented to the champion subordinate nether property 21. Lewandowski won the Gerd Muller grant for the champion striker of the year.

Also up of kick-off, some sides paid homage to Villarreal vice president Jose Manuel Llaneza, whose decease was announced anterior to the match.

𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲́ 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗟𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘇𝗮, 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀.#BarçaVillarreal pic.twitter.com/85M4esJoWZ

Llaneza had been with the nine since 1994 and had served successful assorted roles.

After the match: What the managers, players said

Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez connected the result: "I deliberation played truly well. We needed to respond and were owed a show successful a large game. It was not an casual time aft losing astatine the Bernabeu and drafting with Inter. There are precocious hopes for this team, a batch is expected. We stepped up and showed character, bully intensity, bully successful defence and, supra all, successful attack."

Villarreal's Unai Emery connected the decease of Llaneza: "Jose Manuel started this project, earlier the Roig household took over. I wanted to dedicate a triumph to his household but it was not to be. It has been 2 truly aggravated years for maine with him and quality similar this ever affects you. Now we request to deliberation astir Sunday."

Villarreal's Manu Trigueros connected Llaneza: "We struggled to accommodate aft what happened, the passing of Llaneza. If we are playing astatine stadiums similar this, it is acknowledgment to his work. He has been phenomenal for this club. We recovered retired portion we were eating earlier and it was a large blow. He was truly adjacent and ever by our side. The nine has grown alongside him."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- With his 2 goals connected the nighttime (11 present successful LaLiga), Lewandowski is astatine 601 goals for nine and country.

- Only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (56.3) has a amended minute-per-goal ratio than Lewandowski among players with astatine slightest 500 minutes played crossed Europe's apical 5 leagues this season.

Up next

Barcelona: Another LaLiga location match, this clip with Athletic Club visiting the Camp Nou. Then backmost to Champions League enactment arsenic Lewandowski returns to Bayern Munich for the archetypal clip since leaving this summer.

Villarreal: At location against promoted broadside Almeria.