A stunning late comeback saw Barcelona avoid their first LaLiga defeat of the season against Celta Vigo.
Xavi made three changes to his side that beat Royal Antwerp in the Champions League, with Oriol Romeu most notably replacing Gavi in midfield.
His side fell behind early in the first half when Jørgen Larsen fired past Marc-André ter Stegen after sneaking past Jules Koundé.
Gavi was introduced before the break for the struggling Frenkie de Jong, who tapped in hoping to halt the visitors’ dominance.
The Spanish champions went even further when he played through the defense for Iago Aspas, who teed up Anastasios Douvikas to sweep second-placed Celta away.
But the Blaugrana were offered a quick lifeline just five minutes later when João Félix’s ball over the top teed up Roberto Lewandowski to finish.
Four minutes later, the Polish international equalized when João Cancelo’s cross from the right side of the box was headed home by Ivan Villar.
Provider became the poacher at the end of normal time when Cancelo timed his run perfectly to meet Gavi’s cross into the center of the area to grab the win.
The result sees Barça replace Girona at the summit of LaLiga after their Catalan neighbors saw off Mallorca on Saturday.
Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 5/10 – The only reason Barcelona didn’t concede four or five here.
RB: Joao Cancelo – 6/10 – Disappointing for the first 80 minutes but both scored and assisted in the final ten minutes to complete the turnaround.
CB: Jules Kounde – 4/10 – Not always convincing in possession. Made the wrong decisions at both ends of the field.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 3/10 – Sloppy. Had runners flying around him far too easily as he failed to track his men.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 2/10 – Similarly poor. His positioning allowed Celta to charge forward with ease on every counter. Didn’t appear to retreat with any real urgency.
DM: Oriol Romeu – 7/10 – Did his best to pull the strings but also made a number of huge challenges at the back. Saved a certain goal denying De la Torre. Stunningly substituted at the break.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 5/10 – Orchestrated the occasional positive movement before limping off injured in the first half.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 3/10 – A passenger for most of the game. Can’t fault his work rate but Gundogan was just not involved at all.
RW: Ferran Torres – 3/10 – Not on it. Celta’s deep back line proved far too compact for the winger. Missed an excellent chance to equalise in the second half.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 7/10 – Like Gundogan, Lewandowski was clearly trying hard but was forced to deal with aimless crosses into the box as his teammates couldn’t find a way into him. Took his two late goals really well.
LW: Joao Felix – 6/10 – Sloppy on the ball but was the only Barcelona forward who ever looked like scoring for most of the game. Should’ve done better with a handful of opportunities but it came as no surprise to see him set up Lewandowski’s first.
Substitutes
SUB: Gavi (36′ for De Jong) – 6/10 – A smart cross to find Cancelo and win the game.
SUB: Lamine Yamal (46′ for Alonso) – 6/10 – Did his best to try and make something happen. Lively.
SUB: Ronald Araujo (46′ for Romeu) – 6/10 – Stung the goalkeeper’s gloves with a ferocious strike from range. Looks to be fit again.
SUB: Alejandro Balde (60′ for Christensen) – 5/10 – Quiet in his time on the pitch.
SUB: Raphinha (72′ for Torres) – 6/10 – Decent work to help turn the game around.
Subs not used: Inaki Pena (GK), Ander Astralaga (GK), Sergi Roberto, Inigo Martinez, Fermin Lopez
Manager
Xavi – 3/10 – Overthought his substitutions, switching formation and forcing players into uncomfortable roles. The decision to remove Romeu and leave a shaky defence without any natural cover was a major tactical oversight. Very fortunate to escape with a win.