Barcelona maintained the run of good form in the La Liga
Despite the fact that Leganés were the first side to inflict defeat upon Barcelona this season, head coach Ernesto Valverde decided to rest key players, most notably Lionel Messi, against the Madrid club. But ultimately, the risk paid off, as Barça secured the three points.
In the first-half, Mauricio Pellegrino’s men were owned by Ousmane Dembélé. The France international led an elegant and powerful display, with Barça controlling 70% possession of the ball. It was fitting that Dembélé scored the opener for the side.
In the 30th minute, Gerard Piqué made a sweeping run from defence, bullying past two Leganés players before going down. It fell to Carles Aleñá, who passed it to Dembélé. The right winger went past one player and released Jordi Alba on the left flank with a Messi-esque diagonal ball.
The Spanish left-back put the perfect ball back for Dembélé, as he does with Leo Messi so often, and the young Frenchman scored with his right foot, off the post. The opening goal was the culmination of Dembélé’s display of his excellent dribbling skills and electrifying pace.
In the beginning of the second-half, Philippe Coutinho had a golden opportunity. He received a beautiful back-heel from Ousmane Dembélé but blazed it over the bar. It was representative of how Dembélé overshadowed his Brazilian teammate throughout the match.
Leganés equalised in the 57th minute, with their first chance in the evening. Allan Nyom’s lofted ball could not be cleared by Jordi Alba, who simply put it into the path of Youssef En-Nesyri. The Moroccan youngster put a good ball into the box, which was tapped in by Martin Braithwaite.
Just after Leo Messi came on to raucous applause from the Camp Nou, Dembélé hobbled off the pitch in the 66th minute, after he fell awkwardly on his left foot while trying to challenge a Leganés player for the ball. Malcom came on as a replacement.
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The young Brazilian was involved in Barça’s re-establishment of the lead, as he sprayed it to Messi in space. The Argentine maestro went past one player, before attempting a curled finish into the top right corner. Iván Cuéllar made an amazing save, but the rebound was netted by Luis Suárez.
Suárez could have extended the lead after a brilliant move which lead to Jordi Alba putting the Uruguayan centre-forward through. But the veteran shot straight at Cuéllar. Nevertheless, Barcelona closed out the game with ease, with Messi bagging his 25th of the season.
Undoubtedly, the man-of-the-match was Ousmane Dembélé. He was at his destructive best, tearing apart the Leganés on several occasions. His injury was really unfortunate. Thomas Vermaelen had his best game of the season so far.
Carles Aleñá was very impressive too. The decision to replace him with Messi was surprising, considering that a lacklustre Coutinho played the full 90 minutes without having much of an impact. But it was clear that Sergi Roberto did not have the best of games.
Considering that the first-team had not been fielded, it was very solid display, despite the hiccup which led to Leganés’ equaliser.