Jordi Alba and Frenkie de Jong both found the net as Barcelona came from behind to claim a confidence-boosting 2-1 win over Real Sociedad.
Ronald Koeman made the bold decision to drop Clement Lenglet from his starting line-up, starting Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza at centre back with Pedri also included in the Barca team over Philippe Coutinho.
It was the away side who opened the scoring before the half-hour mark when Willian Jose converted a Portu cross to the back post from close range. Real Sociedad’s lead didn’t last long, though, as Alba curled home a right-footed finish three minutes later.
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The turnaround was completed when De Jong found the back of the net from an Alba cross. The flag was initially raised for offside, but the VAR review proved the Dutchman was onside when the pass into the middle was played.
Real Sociedad applied some pressure in the final stages, but couldn’t find an equaliser, with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen making a double save to deny Alexander Isak. The win lifted Barcelona up to fifth place in La Liga, closing the gap to the top of the table to six points.