Barcelona move 10 points clear after tough Eibar encounter
League leaders Barça will travel home delighted to have picked up all three points in the Ipurua rain, Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba hitting the net against the run of play.
Eibar vs Barcelona: match report
It's all about the points when it comes to winning the league and this will go down as yet another accumulation of all three in what still appears to be Barcelona striding towards reclaiming their Spanish throne. What the players, and those that were watching, will remember though, is that their hosts Eibar gave them a real test ahead of another against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Suarez latched on to a pass from Lionel Messi to dribble round the home side's goalkeeper and slot into an empty net in the 16th minute, while Messi hit the woodwork later in the game as did Eibar's Fabian Orellana, who was sent off with 25 minutes remaining for a second booking.
Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was also dismissed later for angry protests against referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez.
Barca finally made the most of their extra man when Alba sidefooted into the near corner with his weaker right foot in the 88th minute to give his side a first win in three games after surprise successive draws against Espanyol and Getafe.
The hard-fought win takes Barca on to 62 points for the season, 10 above nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, who play Athletic Bilbao at home on Sunday. Champions Real visit Real Betis the same day.