FC Barcelona maintain a 3-point lead at the top after cruising past Alaves 3-0

Coming off a mammoth 5-0 win against Young Boys on the 2nd UCL matchday, much was expected of FC Barcelona, and they delivered the same. As Barcelona boss Hansi Flick had stressed the need to get the complete 3 points, going into the international break with a win, the Catalan side responded the same.

FC Barcelona maintain a 3-point lead at the top after cruising past Alaves 3-0

As usual, club superstars Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Pedri proved crucial as Flick's side cruised past Alaves 3-0. What was more impressive from the side was that despite not getting the best starts possible, the club responded well soon, with enough damage done to the opposition in the first half only.

In the initial minutes only, fringe star Ferran Torres had to be subbed off, facing a hamstring issue, with pivot Eric Garcia coming in for him. While this could have disrupted the club's momentum, Flick's side had taken crucial lessons from their Monaco loss and responded much better. Although the injury meant Catalan star Pedri moved up in the number 10 role while Captain Raphinha moved on the left flank, it all turned out well.

Just moments after Eric Garcia replaced Torres, the man in form, Raphinha, found an onrushing Lewandowski with an inch-perfect cross, which the number 9 netted without much difficulty. Having gone 1-0 up in the 7th minute only, the club's morale reached extraordinary levels, after which the opposition had rare chances in the fixture.

Not much later than he had assisted Lewandowski for his first of the night, Captain Raphinha, after making a brilliant solo run, made an easy tap-in opportunity for the Polish legend, who, capitalizing upon the same, made it 2-0 in Barca's favor. Till the 22nd minute only, the superstar duo of Raphinha-Lewandowski had the job almost done, being 2-0 ahead.

However, substitute Eric Garcia wasn't short enough of making a goal contribution as well, as he assisted Lewandowski to help him complete his first hat trick of the season. Not only had this 3rd goal sealed the 3 points for Hansi Flick's Barcelona, but it also allowed them to go on an easy second half at the Mendizorroza Stadium.

At the full whistle, with a boasting scoreline of 3-0 against the home side, FC Barcelona moved to 24 points, maintaining their 3-point lead ahead of their Clasico rivals. Overall, another brilliant fixture from the club's perspective; however, it would have been a completely perfect one had they not gotten Torres injured. While initial reports indicate some weeks of sideline, further updates are yet to arrive on the player's injury.