Barcelona moved ever-closer to the LaLiga title, beating Getafe 2-0 to open up an 11 point gap at the top of the table following Real Madrid’s slip-up on Friday.
Los Blancos were held 1-1 by Real Betis, opening the door for Hansi Flick’s side to take full advantage, which they did courtesy of goals from Fermin Lopez and substitute Marcus Rashford.
The result moves Barca to within touching distance of what would be a second successive league title, while Getafe’s remain in sixth spot and in contention for a European spot for next season.
Barca make the most of Real slip-up
Getafe began brightly but Barca, in the absence of Lamine Yamal, soon settled into the game, with Robert Lewandowski seeing his early heading fly over the bar after Pedri’s cross.
The experienced striker saw another header go wide of the mark before the visitors finally broke the deadlock courtesy of Fermin.
Some neat Barcelona football through the middle ended with Pedri sliding a clever pass to Fermin in the Getafe box.
The Spaniard made no mistake, finishing into the bottom corner to give his side the lead going into the break.
With title rivals Real Madrid dropping points on Friday, Flick’s side knew a win would take them ever-closer to securing the league title.
And they went close to wrapping up the points through Gerard Martin after the restart, but the defender’s header from substitute Rashford’s free-kick was well-saved.
Fermin then hit the side-netting before Getafe were inches away from an equaliser but the visitors were somehow able to scramble the ball away.
Moments later, Barcelona doubled their advantage when a long ball found Rashford, who ran clear through on goal before finishing confidently.
It was the breathing space the Catalan club required. They saw the remainder of the game out to all but seal the Spanish top-flight trophy for a second successive season.
Line-ups
Getafe starting XI: David Soria, Juan Iglesias, Sebastian Boselli, Domingos Duarte, Djene Dakonam, Davinchi, Veljko Birmancevic, Luis Milla, Mauro Arambarri, Mario Martin, Martin Satriano
Getafe substitutes: Jiri Letacek, Abdel Abqar, Abu Kamara, Allan Nyom, Javi Munoz, Diego Rico, Kiko Femenia, Alex Sancris, Luis Vazquez, Adrian Liso, Jorge Montes, Adrian Riquelme
Barcelona starting XI: Joan Garcia, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo, Roony Bardghji, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona substitutes: Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford, Marc Casado, Frenkie de Jong, Wojciech Szczesny, Eder Aller, Alvaro Cortes, Xavi Espart, Tomas Marques
