Barcelona, Feb 01 (V7N) — La Liga leaders Barcelona strengthened their grip on the top of the table with a convincing 3–1 victory over Elche, moving four points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Facing one of the league’s weaker sides, Barcelona started aggressively. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 6th minute, calmly beating the goalkeeper after receiving a through pass from Almor.

Elche fought back and drew level in the 29th minute through Rodriguez, briefly threatening an upset. However, Barcelona restored their lead before halftime when Ferran Torres found the net, sending the Catalan side into the break with a 2–1 advantage.

Coach Hansi Flick made several tactical changes after the interval, which paid off. In the 72nd minute, substitute forward Marcus Rashford sealed the win by scoring Barcelona’s third goal.

With this victory, Barcelona now sit top of the La Liga table with 55 points from 22 matches, maintaining a four-point lead over Real Madrid in the title race.

END/SMA/AJ