Barcelona's Returning Hero Spearheads Dominant Victory Over Alaves in La Liga Title Chase

Barcelona may not have been spectacular but they accomplished their mission and secured a 3–1 victory over Alavés to claim the top spot in La Liga overnight.

The match began disastrously as Alavés scored within the opening minute. However, making his first appearance in over two months, Raphinha caused problems and orchestrated both Lamine Yamal's leveling goal and Dani Olmo's strike that put the home team ahead.

Olmo sealed his double during injury time to emphasize a triumph that propels Barcelona past Real Madrid in the La Liga table, leaving Xabi Alonso's team needing to secure victory in their away fixture at Girona this Sunday.

Three points were crucial following the midweek disaster against Chelsea. In their second match at the refurbished Camp Nou, Barcelona marked their 126th anniversary with a well-earned victory.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Alavés (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings courtesy of FotMob*

GK: Joan García—7.4: An outstanding stop to maintain parity provided Barcelona the chance to go ahead moments later. The importance of his presence cannot be emphasized enough after his team struggled without him during his absence.

RB: Eric García—6.7: Had minimal impact and unfortunately, a facial injury that forced his halftime withdrawal was the most notable moment of his evening.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.3: An uneventful evening for the young defender who will welcome it following some shaky recent displays.

CB: Gerard Martín—7.9: Another excellent central defensive performance from the academy product. His speed proved crucial for Barça's transition defense and his passing was virtually perfect.

LB: Alejandro Balde—8.0: Raphinha's comeback directly benefited Balde, who surged up and down the left flank throughout the match without making a defensive error.

DM: Marc Bernal—6.1: Bernal appeared out of rhythm in his first start in over twelve months, mishandling simple passes and being slow to several tackles which earned him a yellow card.

CM: Marc Casadó—7.1: A solid performance from the young midfielder who consistently contributed to build-up play and controlled possession in the latter half. We witnessed the 2024–25 form of Casadó.

RW: Lamine Yamal—9.4: Ideal response after his Stamford Bridge difficulties. He tormented every defender attempting to stop him and finished with a goal and assist.

AM: Dani Olmo—9.3: His finest display of the campaign by far. He generated the most opportunities (5) of anyone on the field and scored more goals in one evening than his entire season total.

LW: Raphinha—7.6: Welcome return, Raphinha! Was central to Barcelona's first-half recovery, appeared refreshed and showed no rust in his first start since late September.

ST: Robert Lewandowski—7.8: Wasn't as influential as he might have preferred but his link-up play helped generate attacks. His fortunate deflection earned him his maiden assist of the season.

Unused substitutes: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Roony Bardghji, Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marques, Dro Fernández.

Alavés (4-1-4-1)

Starting lineup: Antonio Sivera; Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco, Víctor Parada; Antonio Blanco; Calebe, Denis Suárez, Pablo Ibáñez, Abde Rebbach; Lucas Boyé.

Substitutions made: Carles Aleñá, Carlos Vicente, Ander Guevara, Jon Guridi, Antonio Martínez.

Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal

Barcelona 3–1 Alavés—Match Summary at Camp Nou

Looking to recover from their terrible midweek showing, Barcelona experienced the worst possible beginning. Marc Casadó bungled his clearance attempt from a corner kick, deflecting the ball toward the far post where another touch enabled Pablo Ibáñez to score the opener after just 50 seconds.

Flick's team reacted positively and immediately began pressing forward. Clever interplay between Alejandro Balde and Raphinha enabled the Brazilian to deliver a cross-field pass that found Yamal, who buried Barcelona's equalizer within the first 10 minutes.

However, Barça's intensity waned after equalizing and Alavés regained momentum. A classic counter-attack exploiting Barcelona's high defensive line created a pass across for Jonny Otto, who shot from close range and forced Joan García into one of the season's finest saves to preserve the tie.

Sixty seconds later, Raphinha broke through again and delivered another precise cross for the advancing Olmo, who placed his effort into the bottom corner to net his first Barça goal in over two months and give the hosts the lead before the interval.

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The home side controlled the second half with extended periods of possession that visibly tired the Alavés players.

The decisive third goal remained elusive for the Catalans, but the loudest applause of the second period came when the recently returned Raphinha left the field for the comeback of Pedri, who featured for the first time since the El Clásico loss a month earlier.

Alavés mounted a final offensive in the match's closing 10 minutes, shifting momentum their way and testing Barcelona's defense. Tension filled Camp Nou in the final moments but Yamal and Olmo took control and in a rapid counter-attack, the former set up the latter who completed his brace to guarantee all three points.

Barcelona vs. Alaves Half-Time Statistics

Barcelona vs. Alaves Final Statistics