Barcelona boss Xavi believes his side were fortunate to pick up a 3-1 La Liga win away at Villarreal in Saturday night action.
Three points at El Madrigal means the Catalan giants have now secured six points from two league games under the former Spanish international.
However, they were forced to survive a late scare as Samuel Chukwueze’s leveller cancelled out Frenkie de Jong’s controversial opening goal.
Frenkie de Jong gives Barcelona the lead against Villarreal! 🔵🔴
Originally ruled out for offside, VAR overturned the decision and the goal stands 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vEH9PGnDSX
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) November 27, 2021
Villarreal are level! 🟡
Samu Chukwueze with an excellent finish to beat ter Stegen 😮 pic.twitter.com/xSVU8Hcdfg
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) November 27, 2021
Late goals from Memphis Depay and substitute Philippe Coutinho eventually sealed the win in the final minutes and Xavi claimed the win was a vital step for his new team.
Memphis Depay comes up with what should be a late winner! 🔥
Route one rather than tiki-taka, but Barcelona won't mind this time! 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/n53mGAs6dm
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) November 27, 2021
“We did not dominate the game as we expected but we played against a great team”, as per reports from Marca.
“We were lucky in parts as Villarreal did not deserve to lose.
“It has taken a lot from us on the night.
“We have been fortunate with Memphis’ goal, but these are three golden points for us.”
Barcelona are unbeaten in all competitions under Xavi but they face a crunch run of games in La Liga and in the Champions League before the end of 2022.
A poor return of results in Europe this season means they may need a win away from home at Bayern Munich in the final group game if rivals Benfica beat Dynamo Kiev.
In league action they play host to Real Betis at the Camp Nou next weekend ahead of three domestic fixtures to complete the calendar year.
Images via Getty Images
