Villarreal vs Barcelona summary: score, goals, highlights, LaLiga

Top of the table

Villarreal suffer at the hands of league leaders

Barça secured a hard-fought win over Villarreal to move 11 points clear of Real Madrid, who play Elche on Wednesday.

Pedri scored the only goal of the game to give Xavi's men the three points at La Cerámica.

Barcelona beat Villarreal

It's a big three points for Xavi's team, who keep the pressure on Real Madrid.

It's a great win for Barcelona, away to Villarreal, and they extend their lead at the top of the table.

There's the whistle for full-time!

Reina comes up for a Villarreal corner!

It's punched away!

Lewandowski!

Reina saves well from the striker, who shoots from outside the area.

There will be four minutes added on!

Chukwueze scores but Yeremy is offside in the buildup.

Barcelona are winning 1-0 as we approach stoppage time.

Alba replaces Kessié

The away side make another late change. 

Chance for Villarreal!

Fer Niño fires wide!

Barcelona change

Ferran Torres comes on for Raphinha.

Triple change for Villarreal

They have to go for it!

Pedri plays Lewandowski in but Reina flies off his line to clear.

The Catalan side have a corner on the left. Raphinha crosses but hits it out of play. It's a poor corner. 

Ferran Torres is about to come on.

Barça are working with longer spells of possession to tire Villarreal but it's still all to play for as we approach the last 10 minutes.

Barcelona's defence has been rock-solid this season. Araújo, Koundé and Christensen, as well as Ter Stegen, have all been immense under Xavi.

Barcelona have not lost away to Villarreal since 2007. They have won 10 times and drawn five times at Villarreal since then. No other club has achieved such a streak at the home of the Yellow Submarine.

Moreno takes Pedri down and receives a yellow. Pedri continues to cause problems with his driving runs. It's clear to see why Xavi wants him playing in a more advanced role. He's lethal.

Yeremy fouls Araujo. It remains 1-0 to Barcelona.

Baena's long-range shot goes just wide. Villarreal are looking for the equaliser.

Raphinha!

It should be 2-0!

Lewandowski takes the Villarreal defence out of the game with a superb pass but Raphinha can only send the effort wide with his weaker right foot.

Parejo picks up a yellow for pulling Pedri back.

Araújo reads the play brilliantly to intercept the through-ball and prevent Yeremy, who was in on goal, from scoring.

Koundé is booked for swinging an arm at Baena, who goes over holding his face.

Raphinha plays Lewandowski in. The latter crosses, but it goes wide. I don't think he realised how much time and space he had in the box.

Balde crosses for Lewandowski, who heads wide as he's flagged for offside.

A win for Barca tonight would see them move 11 points ahead of Real Madrid, who won the Club World Cup in Morocco last night.

Baena gets a yellow for fouling Lewandowski. Nobody protests because it is very, very clear.

If you're only joining us now, Barcelona are leading 1-0 thanks to a first-half Pedri goal.

The second half is underway!

Barcelona lead at the break

Pedri's goal has the Blaugrana in front.

And there's the whistle for half-time!

That was the best chance of the game but Barca hold onto their narrow lead.

What a chance!

Morales is through on goal and when it looks easier to score, he hits the side-netting. 

There will be three minutes added on!

From the resulting free-kick, Parejo sends the ball over the bar when he was trying to find a team-mate in the box. It's not like him.

Araújo gets a yellow for a push and will miss Barcelona's game against Cádiz.

World Cup winner Foyth clips a ball over the top. Ter Stegen runs off his line to gather it up. 0-1

Villarreal's corner comes in from the right but evades everyone and is eventually cleared.

Yellow card for Pau Torres for protesting a foul by Yeremy Pino on Raphinha.

Coquelin goes off

The French midfielder is stretchered to a standing ovation. It looks like a nasty one.

Coquelin is down in serious pain. The stretcher is coming out. It looks like he twists his knee in a challenge with Kessié. We hope it's not as bad as it looks.

Balde sends a long ball from left to right. Lewandowski heads it down into the path of Pedri but he's just offside.

Shots:

Villarreal - 1

Barcelona - 4

REINA saves!

He stops Lewandowski again. De Jong lobs a pass into the path of the Polish striker, who sees his low left-footed effort blocked by Reina. 

It remains 1-0 to the away side.

Barcelona have a free out on the right wing. Raphinha stands over it and fires it just wide of the far post. Reina lets it go but there was serious swerve on it.

Pedri has been excellent so far. He has popped up everywhere and been involved in all his side's moves.

With the score at 0-1, Barça are being more patient and forcing Villarreal out to press.

Barcelona go in front

It's Pedri!

It's a wonderful team goal. Koundé wins it back. De Jong plays a line-breaking ball into Lewandowski, who in turn sets up Pedri. The midfielder takes a touch and makes no mistake to score his sixth league goal of the season.

Barcelona work the triangles well on the right but Koundé overhits the through-ball and Raphinha can't quite get to it.

Barcelona's second-minute chance was the closest we have come to having an opener. Since then, it has been pretty cagey.

In an interview with AS last year, Capoue opened up about his curious struggle with watching football.

"I love basketball and I don’t watch football," he said.

"Some people tell me that if I watched football, my career would be better, maybe. But I’m happy that way, I like to be able to isolate myself from football. I like to play, but it’s hard for me to watch it."

Capoue is down holding his face after a push from Kessié.

Pedri drills a diagonal to the back post for Christensen. The ball flies off the back of his head and goes out for a goal kick.

Capoue finds space on the right and crosses into the box. Barcelona clear.

REINA saves!

Pedri plays in Lewandowski. He's 1v1 with Reina but the veteran keeper gets down low to keep him out.

A win for Barcelona tonight would move them 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Barcelona are playing from left to right, in grey. Villarreal are wearing their traditional yellow colours and play from right to left.

And we're underway in Castellón!

And we have a minute's silence for the victims in Turkey and Syria.

The players are on their way out onto the pitch and are wearing t-shirts in support of Turkey and Syria.

Villarreal-Barça is one of the big games in the LaLiga calendar.

Barça have not lost since the 2007-08 season and have won the last three in a row.

Barcelona XI

Kickoff is just 10 minutes away!

The atmosphere at La Cerámica is building.

If they pick up yellow cards against Villarreal, Araújo, Gavi and Ferran Torres will miss the Barça-Cádiz game.

Villarreal XI tonight

Mate in hand, claro que sí!

Barcelona have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides. They will be confident of getting another result today.

Villarreal all set in Vila-real

Kickoff is coming soon!

Barcelona XI

Without Busquets, Xavi has opted for the same starting line-up that won last Sunday, with the exception of Kessié, the only new addition to the line-up.

Gavi will play as a false winger in a 4-3-3 in defence and in attack it will be a 3-4-3 with Balde operating high on the left.

The eleven is as follows:

Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; De Jong, Kessie, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi.

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Top of LaLiga

Barcelona can go 11 points clear at the top if they win tonight.

Villarreal XI vs Barcelona

Setién has gone with the following XI.

Villarreal lose last time out

Villarreal lost their last game 3-1. The defeat was against bottom-of-the-table strugglers Elche, who recorded their first win of the season.

Gerard Moreno scored for the Yellow Submarine to equalise but Elche came back, helped by a Pere Milla hat-trick.

Barcelona starting XI

Here's how Xavi's team will line up.

Setién speaks

Ahead of tonight's fixture, Villarreal head coach Quique Setién said:

"We are playing against an extraordinary opponent. We are aware that it will be a very difficult game."

Barcelona's recent record

Barcelona have won their last seven games in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets along the way. As per Opta, they have not won eight games in a row since October 2017.

Barcelona's record vs Villarreal

Barcelona are undefeated in 28 of their last 29 matches against the Yellow Submarine in all competitions.

The Catalan club have scored at least 2 goals in 11 of their last 12 matches against Villarreal.

Barcelona in grey

It's grey for the Blaugrana tonight.

LALIGA SANTANDER

Ansu Fati’s number 10 Barcelona shirt is not scoring in the club store

The best-selling shirt in Barcelona's club store in recent weeks is, perhaps unsurprisingly, that of Gavi, after recently taking on the famous number 6. 

“It’s crazy among teenagers. Ter Stegen, Frenkie and Araújo also have their moments,” a club store employee tells AS.

Barcelona travel south

Barcelona are in town as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.

Villarreal host Barcelona

It's matchday 21 in LaLiga and we have a tasty Sunday night fixture for you in store.

Villarreal vs Barcelona: welcome!

Hello and welcome to AS USA's live coverage of this LaLiga match between Villarreal and Barcelona.