LaLiga: Barcelona earn hard-fought 2-1 home win against Villarreal

Barcelona finally got back to its winning ways in LaLiga after a 2-1 home victory against Villarreal at Camp Nou on Wednesday, September 25. Lionel Messi made his first start of the season and showed-up for his side with an assist to his name. Barca got two early goals to begin with, but Santi Cazorla pulled one back for Villarreal before the end of the first half. The Yellow Submarine were arguably the better side for most of the second half but Barcelona held their nerves and got the much required three points from the match. Barça keep it perfect at the Camp Nou this season in #LaLigaSantander! ✅✅✅#BarçaVillarreal 2-1 pic.twitter.com/cQxwQD4XqF — LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) September 24, 2019 Read | LaLiga: Will Real Madrid Maintain Their Unbeaten Run Against Osasuna? Barcelona vs Villarreal: First half Villarreal's intentions at the start of the game looked clear which was to defend deep and attack the hosts on the counter. However, Barcelona drew first blood as summer signing Antoine Griezmann headed home after Lionel Messi's cross from the corner in the sixth minute of the LaLiga game. After a bright start, Barcelona kept most of the possession as they were passing the ball well between them. Arthur doubled Barcelona's lead with a belter which left Sergio Asenjo clueless in the 15th minute of the game. ⚽ @AntoGriezmann gets the Camp Nou on their feet! 🙌#BarçaVillarreal pic.twitter.com/bRUGvkF5ML — LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) September 24, 2019 Read | Real Madrid: A Look At Los Blancos' LaLiga 2019-20 Season So Far The game got deeply inclined towards Barca after the second goal. But Ernesto Valverde's men decided to go defensive after the lead which allowed Villarreal to settle from the set-back and get back in the game. The Yellow Brigade started attacking more and got the much-required breakthrough off Santi Cazorla's screamer towards the end of the first half. 👆⚽ 2 goals in 4 days for @19SCazorla! ⚽👆#BarçaVillarreal pic.twitter.com/wpq10w8Vt2 — LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) September 24, 2019 Barcelona vs Villarreal: Second half Barcelona were dealt with a blow as Lionel Messi was subbed off at the start of the second half because of an injury. Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé replaced the Argentine and was seen working hard on the right flank. Villarreal started the half with more motivation, thanks to Cazorla's heroics. The visitors dominated the first 20 minutes of the second half as they were breaking into Barca's defence and firing shots towards Marc-André ter Stegen whenever they saw an opportunity. Read | UEFA Champions League: Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona Ends In Draw However, Barca held their nerves and did not allow the visitors to bag another goal. The arrival of Frenkie de Jong helped the hosts break Villarreal's momentum to create any threat. 16-year old Ansu Fati yet again impressed everyone as he was seen troubling the visitor's defence in the minutes he played. The win saw Barcelona move to fourth in the table with 10 points in LaLiga so far. Read | PSG Outscores UEFA With Legal Win In Financial Monitoring Case

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LaLiga: Barcelona earn hard-fought 2-1 home win against Villarreal

LaLiga: Barcelona returned to winning ways in LaLiga thanks to a 2-1 victory over Villarreal at Camp Nou on Tuesday night. Read the highlights from the match

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