FC Barcelona 1-0 Valencia: Resilient and victorious

Three more points can be added to the FC Barcelona tally after they brilliantly ground out a win at home to struggling Valencia on Sunday afternoon.

Although Raphinha headed in after just fifteen minutes, a second goal didn’t want to come, and there was a nervous last half hour when Barça were reduced to ten men after Ronald Araujo took one for the team.

Valencia pushed hard for an equaliser, but Barça were as faultless at the back as they have been in practically every game this season, and held on for a crucial victory.

Raphinha heads home

From the moment the ball started rolling, Barça looked commanding, and a goal always looked like it was coming.

After 15 minutes of pressure it finally came when Sergi Busquets looped a lovely ball into the box. Raphinha brilliantly rose to meet it with his head and nodded it goalwards.

But despite the emphatic start, and as has been the case so many times in recent months, following an opening goal up with another proved extremely difficult.

Araujo off

Shortly after the break, Barça had a golden chance to double their lead when they were awarded a penalty for handball, but Ferran Torres fired the spot-kick wide, moments before Ansu Fati rammed the ball onto the post.

But until then, it had been Valencia who had the best of the, and things suddenly got a whole lot more difficult for the home side whenAraujo was red carded for tugging down Hugo Duro when he was through on goal.

The Uruguayan knew what he was doing, and accepted the punishment without protest.

Tight at the back

Barça had offered a master-class in defending a lead against Real Madrid on Thursday, and now they were a man down, it was time to do it again.
And do it they did.

Although almost all that was left of the game was about Valencia coming forward, the moments of real danger were few and far between. Fran Pérez had a fine chance but was offside anyway, and there wasa  possible penalty claim that the referee had no interest in. Barça were lapping up all the pressure, and hadn't received a single shot on target until Justin Kluivert's effort with the last kick of the game.

It was time to celebrate yet another clean sheet. 18 in 24 games... Simply extraordinary!

Xavi, suspended and watching from the stands this afternoon, was ready to admit that his team had ‘suffered’ in this game and almost paid the price for infectivity up front.

It may not have been the prettiest-looking or most comfortable of wins of the season, but a win it was. And that’s what matters most. At least until Real Madrid play Betis later today, a ten-point lead has been restored at the top of the Liga table… Força Barça!