Lacklustre Barcelona saved by a late Dembele strike

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t convincing, it was nervous and disjointed but Barcelona did get the win they needed on Monday night. French forward Ousmane Dembele left it late but he scored the only goal of the game, a goal that earned the points for Los Cule. Real Valladolid frustrated the hosts at Camp Nou and thought that they’d go home with a point for their troubles until Dembele broke their hearts.

With El Clasico fast approaching, Ronald Koeman needed this win desperately. Atletico Madrid lost their match at Sevilla previously, handing Barcelona a chance to reduce the gap to just a point. Still, it wasn’t until the harsh sending off of Valaldolid’s Oscar Plano that Messi and co. reached the goal they desired.

They will have to play better after being frustrated by a determined Valladolid side, with Lionel Messi delivering some firm words to his team-mates in the tunnel at half-time.

"We have to step it up a gear, we have to play with more rhythm. If not, it's going to get complicated for us."

It might have been more complicated had Plano not been shown a red card in the 78th minute, his hack on Dembele from behind giving Barca a crucial advantage for the final stages.

If Ronald Koeman's men win at Valdebebas, they will claim first place for 24 hours at least, before a depleted and deflated Atletico play away at Real Betis on Sunday.

"We struggled in the first half, to create scoring opportunities in attack, and also at the back, our pressing was not very good. I saw a Barca that was a little slow, tired, we did not have control of the game. In the second half we have improved. We have shown that without playing well, we are capable of winning games."

Victory makes it six in a row for them in La Liga, another win - particularly after an unconvincing performance - enhancing the sense that momentum now lies with Atletico's rivals. Valladolid were not just able to compete in the first half, they were probably the better side and could have led when Kenan Kodro's early header struck the bar.

But Barcelona were flat, their passing predictable and there was concern in Messi's voice when he told his team-mates to find a different gear in the second half.

Valladolid were almost undone by a Messi through ball for Dembele, who held his run but could not finish before the leaping Antoine Griezmann headed the rebound wide.

Barcelona looked more dangerous on the break than in possession and they were lucky to escape a penalty when Oscar Plano poked the ball onto the outstretched hand of Jordi Alba. But Barca's biggest boost came 12 minutes from the end, when Plano was sent off for chasing Dembele back and tripping the Frenchman from behind. A yellow card seemed the more obvious decision.

©Gallo Images

Trincao went close and the winner came in the last minute as Frenkie de Jong's cross was flicked to the back post by Ronald Aruajo. Dembele was free and lashed into the corner. Valaldolid couldn’t believe their luck as Barca breathed a collective sigh of relief. They needed the points and the points they’ve got. The celebrations will have to be brief because they know that a massive improvement will be needed if they want to stay in the title race at Real Madrid’s expense.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 29

Saturday

Granada - Villareal 0-3 (0-2)

/Moreno 9, 18, 60/

Real Madrid - Eibar 2-0 (1-0)

/Asensio 41, Benzema 73/

Osasuna-Getafe 0-0

Sunday

Deportivo Alaves - Celta Vigo 1-3 (0-3)

/Lejeune 86 - Nolito 8, Aspas 14, Mina 20/

Elche - Real Betis 1-1 (1-1)

/Milla 36 - Iglesias 14/

Cadiz - Valencia 2-1 (1-1)

/Cala 14, Lopez 88 - Gameiro 19/

Sevilla - Atletico Madrid 1-0 (0-0)

/Acuna 70/

Monday

Barcelona - Real Valladolid 1-0 (0-0)

/Dembele 90/

Wednesday

23.00: Real Sociedad - Athletic Bilbao