An Antoine Griezmann brace gave Barcelona a 2-1 away win over Villarreal to lift the Catalans to within two points of Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s pace-setters can re-establish their five-point advantage with a win over Athletic Club on Sunday evening, but Barca have shifted the pressure on to Atleti with this result at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
A chaotic start saw both sides create early opportunities to score with Villarreal breaking the deadlock when Samuel Chukwueze burst in behind, rounded Marc-Andre ter Stegen and finished from a tight angle.
Barcelona’s response, however, was instant, with Griezmann lobbing a finish over Sergio Asenjo before completing the turnaround soon after, firing past the goalkeeper after pouncing on a loose Juan Foyth backpass.
Villarreal were reduced to 10 men after a reckless tackle by Manu Trigueros on Lionel Messi, with the Argentine fortunate not to suffer any damage. This robbed the hosts of their chance to press for an equaliser as Barcelona saw out a 15th win from their last 17 league games.