Barcelona and Villarreal have now seen 13 goals be scored across their two meeting this season. The Catalans won 4-3 in Castellon back in August, and this time around in January, it was 5-3, with Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side taking the spoils on this occasion.
Gerard Moreno had the ball in the net for Villarreal in the first half, but it was controversial ruled out after a VAR check. However, the forward would find the back of the net soon after, firing home an excellent strike from inside the penalty area.
It stayed 1-0 until half time, and after the interval, it got better for Villarreal as they went 2-0 up. A mistake from Joao Cancelo allowed Ilias Akhomach in behind, and the young winger made no mistake against his former club.
Then came a mad spell of three goals in 11 minutes for Barcelona. Firstly, Ilkay Gundogan scored from the edge of the box, before Pedri finished after being set up by the German. Finally, Eric Bailly headed into his own net to complete a remarkable quick-fire turnaround for the hosts.
However, that was not the last of the scoring, as Villarreal managed to incredibly find three late goals to win. Aleksander Sorloth played through Goncalo Guedes, and the Portuguese scored to make it 3-3. The Norwegian would then make it 4-3 in the 99th minute, before Jose Luis Morales sealed victory in the 102nd.
The result leaves Barcelona 10 points behind Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table. The pressure is now firmly on Xavi after this.