Barcelona cling on to top spot

FC Barcelona beat SD Eibar 2-0 on matchday 27 in the Liga BBVA thanks to two goals from Lionel Messi, who was once again decisive. The Blaugranas stay top of the table thanks to the win, while Eibar slump to an eighth straight defeat. This was also a special night for Barcelona captain Xavi Hernández, who came off the bench to make his 750th appearance in all competitions for the Catalans.

The first half witnessed a mixture of one-touch football and hard work, with the visitors dominating the play and Eibar opting to try and stop Barcelona’s play through brute force. Messi’s penalty broke the deadlock just after half an hour and relaxed Luis Enrique’s side, who could have added to their lead before the break but could not make the most of their chances.

Messi struck again early in the second half to double his side’s lead, heading home Ivan Rakitic’s corner to score his 32nd league goal of the season.Federico Piovaccari came close to reducing the deficit late on as his half-volley struck the woodwork, but Barcelona held on to record a third straight league win and a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions.