Barcelona moved up to third position in La Liga on Sunday following defeating Elche 2-1, with Memphis Depay scoring a late penalty to lock a hard-fought win.
Elche took a surprise lead when Fidel capitalised on a Pedri error near the half-time but Barca came attacking back.
Ferran Torres diverted in from close range on the hour prior Depay netted an 84th-minute penalty after the striker had fetched Elche’s Antonio Barragan into a handball. “It seemed we were going to lose a game we did not deserve to lose,” stated Barca coach Xavi Hernandez. “We deserved to win by more than one goal.”
Victory lets Barcelona two points above Real Betis and three clear of Atletico Madrid in the table, prior Betis and Atletico face each other in an imperative clash for the top four later on Sunday.
It also resumes a magnificent run of form for Xavi’s side, who have not lost in the league since December and came into this match on the back of scoring four times in three consecutive matches for the first time since 2017.
When Xavi was recruited in November, Barcelona were at ninth.
“We have four wins in a row, this has not happened for a long time, it’s a good sign,” stated Xavi. “The players believe in what we are doing. We are on the right path.”
