Superb Lewandowski sees Barca thrash Villarreal

Barcelona needed to get back to winning ways and they have. After being almost eliminated from the Champions League group stage against Inter and losing 'El Clasico' against Real Madrid, the Catalan giants needed to take all three points against Villarreal to stay in the fight with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Xavi's team did their job.

The 'Cules' controlled the first half from the start. They managed to keep possession of the ball but unlike in other games this season, they created quite a few chances. Villarreal had a clear plan, defend at the back while waiting to pull off a good counter-attack.

The goal took a while to arrive, but after several chances, Lewandowski gave the home side the lead in the 31st minute when Pedri found Jordi Alba on the left flank with space. The full-back drove the ball and squared it to the penalty spot where the Pole was. The striker controlled the ball, turned and beat Rulli with a low shot.

It took just four minutes for the former Bayern Munich man to score again and get his brace. Gavi fed the '9' on the edge of the box, whose shot to the long post beat Rulli and extended Barcelona's lead.

Madness would be unleashed at the Camp Nou 4 minutes later again. Ferran Torres received inside the box and crossed the ball. Ansu Fati, inside the six-yard box, only had to push the ball into the net, but his finish hit the post. Fortunately for the Spaniard, the rebound fell to him and this time he did push the ball in to score the home side's third. It took just eight minutes for the 'Cules' to thrash Villarreal. 

There were far fewer chances in the second half. Although Villarreal tried to close the gap, Emery's team failed to score.