Barcelona delivered a statement performance on the road, beating Valencia 5-0 at the Mestalla on Sunday night to move three points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Lamine Yamal was the standout performer, scoring twice and seeing a third effort ruled out by VAR for offside. Fermín López, Raphinha and Pedri also found the net as Hansi Flick’s side extended their perfect start to the season to four wins from four matches.
Barcelona wasted no time asserting control, taking the lead inside six minutes. Fermín López played a clever pass into Yamal, who produced a first-time flick from a tight angle that sailed into the roof of the net.
The Spain international doubled the tally soon after, though referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos sent a further Yamal effort to VAR before it was chalked off for offside.
Fermín López got on the scoresheet himself in the 22nd minute, before Raphinha added a third just after the hour mark to put the result beyond doubt. Pedri, who was substituted shortly afterward, netted Barcelona’s fourth with a finish into the bottom corner following a pass from Dani Olmo. Yamal completed his brace later on, latching onto another Olmo assist to curl a shot into the bottom right corner and round off the scoring.
Barcelona dominated the game from start to finish, holding 70 percent of possession and firing 25 shots at goal compared to Valencia’s two. Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was called into action repeatedly but could do little to stem the flow, as the hosts struggled to create anything of note at the other end.
The win took Barcelona’s tally to 17 goals scored in four league matches this season, underlining the champions’ early-season form under Flick.
Valencia, in contrast, remain bottom of the table with just a single point from their opening matches, having now managed only one goal.
