Barcelona thrash Alaves 6-1 and reclaim top spot in La Liga

A rout after two defeats

Barcelona thrashed Alaves 6-1 at the Camp Nou on Saturday and reclaimed first place in La Liga, moving two points clear of second-placed Atletico. The match was Hansi Flick's side's response to two painful defeats in a row — in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain and in the home Clasico against Real Madrid last weekend, AFP reports.

How the match unfolded

Raphinha opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a pass from Fermin Lopez, and in the 23rd minute Lopez doubled the lead himself — his shot from a tight angle, intended as a cross, proved effective. Raphinha then scored his 15th league goal, remaining the championship's top scorer, and Lamine Yamal made it 4-0 before the break. In the second half Yamal completed his brace, substitute Anthony Gordon scored the sixth goal, and only at the end did Mariano Diaz pull one back for Alaves. Flick went into the match with defensive problems due to injuries: Frenkie de Jong played as a central defender, while young Brian Farinas made his first start at right-back. 'It was a tough week, and there was no better place to bounce back than the Camp Nou in front of our fans,' Lopez said.

Atletico keep pace

Earlier in the day, Atletico beat Levante 2-0 thanks to goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Giuliano Simeone and briefly moved into first place, but Barcelona's rout pushed the Madrid side back into second. For Diego Simeone's team it was a seventh straight league win, and the coach himself recorded his 344th La Liga victory in charge of Atletico, equalling the club record of Luis Aragones. 'I don't consider it mine — it belongs to my players and to everyone who has been with me all these years,' said Simeone, who has led the team since 2011.

What's next

On Sunday, third-placed Jose Mourinho's Real play Racing Santander, and Barcelona face two crucial matches in the coming days: at home to Aston Villa in the Champions League on Tuesday, and away to Atletico next Sunday in a head-to-head clash for first place. Alaves, thrashed, remain tenth and have now gone seven matches without a win. 'There's no need to panic — we know we're on a bad run, but we are a mature and humble team,' said the team's midfielder Ander Guevara. Before all of the round's matches, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the 69 victims of the train crash in the province of Toledo, which occurred this week.