Dos Santos goes on a mazy dribble into the Barcelona penalty area, before unleashing a shot that is comfortable within reach for Ter Stegen. Easy save for the Germany international.
90'
There are three minutes of stoppage time at Camp Nou.
89'
Villarreal, it is fair to say, have entirely given up here. Their players aren't pressing or pushing out with any intensity at all, with the penalty deflating their resolve entirely. The visitors haven't managed to create anything of note, with Bakambu's substitution removing their only regular threat from the field of play. Suarez shoots just wide from the edge of the box.
87'
Barcelona continue to push on, with Neymar and Messi causing all kinds of issues on the break. Iniesta sights up an effort from the edge of the penalty area, but a controlled half-volley from the veteran midfielder is gobbled up easily by Andres.
85'
Only five minutes are left in this game now, with Villarreal just wanting the final whistle at this point. The penalty was the final nail in the coffin, and what a ridiculous one it was, too. Luis Enrique's men are closing things out with patient possesion.
83'
Adrián López enters the game and replaces C. Bakambu.
André Gomes enters the game and replaces I. Rakitić.
Bakambu is replaced by Adrian Lopez up front, after putting in a great shift.
Rakitic jogs off, with Andre Gomes replacing him.
82'
Penalty goal scored by L. Messi for Barcelona!
GOOOOOAL! MESSI MAKES IT FOUR! It is a cheeky panenka penalty down the middle, and that is Barcelona out of sight entirely now. Brilliant finish from the Argentina international, but the awarding of the spot kick looked incredibly harsh.
81'
Jaume Costa gets yellow.
Jaume Costa picks up a booking for handball in the penalty area. That looked harsh, he couldn't get out of the way in time.
80'
This game has lost its intensity and shape a little now, with Barcelona's front three looking quite lazy when possession turns over, leaving their midfield and back four a little exposed. Neymar gets to the byline with some trickery on the left, with the referee then pointing to the spot as a shot from Suarez hits Jaume Costa on the arm. Penalty!
78'
J. Mascherano enters the game and replaces Sergi Roberto.
Sergi Roberto is replaced by Mascherano for the last 10 minutes or so, with the Argentine force to fill in at right-back.
Minute
Description
77'
M. Musacchio gets yellow.
Important intervention from Pique! Bakambu battles his way through yet again, getting in behind the hosts' back four. The Villarreal striker skips past Ter Stegen, but the Barcelona captain is on hand to sweep up and clear the danger.
Musacchio will have to watch his step for the last 10 minutes or so after earning himself a caution.
75'
Jordi Alba enters the game and replaces L. Digne.
Jordi Alba is introduced for the home side, with Digne jogging off after putting in a fairly good showing.
73'
Villarreal's changes should give the Yellow Submarine a little more energy and purpose on the break. Bakambu breaks away down the left-hand side for the visitors and tries to shoot from a tight angle, but Pique comes across to make a timely block.
72'
Soldado gets yellow.
Samu Castillejo enters the game and replaces R. Soriano.
N. Sansone enters the game and replaces Soldado.
Soldado picks up a yellow card just before being substituted. An interesting way to end his evening.
Soriano takes his leave, with Samu Castillejo adding some fresh legs and trickery out wide for the away side.
Sansone freshens things up for Villarreal up front, with the disappointing Soldado jogging off.
71'
Barcelona should be feeling a little more relieved now, with a two-goal advantage enough to carry them home. It should be another three points that could go a long way in the title race. Real Madrid fans will be nervous ahead of their game against Granada later!
69'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Sergi Roberto.
GOOOOOOOAL! Trigueros feeds play out to the left-hand side, but Soriano is caught offside. Barcelona take the free kick quickly and race upfield, with Suarez fed into the penalty area where he chops past Alvaro. He slots home a neat finish to put this contest to bed. That should be that, Villarreal don't look like scoring twice.
Sergi Roberto is the quick thinker to race upfield on the counter, before feeding a pass out to the right-hand side to Suarez.
66'
Nerves might just start setting in for Blaugrana, who know that only a win will do if they are to maintain the title pace with Real Madrid. The game has fallen into a bit of a lull, with neither side wanting to concede the next goal in this contest - it could be season defining.
64'
Andrés Iniesta gets yellow.
Iniesta picks up a yellow card for a cynical sliding challenge that prevented Soriano from getting into a shooting position on the edge of Barca's box.
63'
The hosts are still putting all of the pressure on, with Villarreal biding their time to get forward. Mario is picked out making strides down the right-hand side, but a poor first touch from the full-back robs him of the chance to test Digne.
61'
Half an hour remains in this game, with Barcelona clearly keen to grab another goal to settle their nerves. The longer that the scoreline remains at 2-1, the more belief Villarreal will have that they can steal a result at Camp Nou. Even a point would be great for their European push.
60'
Rodri decides to try his luck from the best part of 30 yards, but the young midfielder's effort balloons a long way over the crossbar. Neymar drives down the left-hand side and gets straight to the byline, but a cut-back from the Brazilian is cleared easily by Musacchio.
58'
Barcelona continue to knock on the door, but the narrow nature of Villarreal's defending is ensuring that the likes of Messi and Iniesta are struggling to exploit any gaps. Messi shoots from just inside the box, after exchanging a one-two with Neymar, but Andres parries the ball behind well.
56'
Neymar is found in a pocket of space on the edge of the Villarreal box, but a cross-cum-shot from the Brazilian sails wide of the far post and straight out of play. Suarez really isn't getting much good service this evening and is cutting a frustrated figure at the moment. Fran Escriba has plenty of substitutes out warming up on the touchline.
54'
Digne links up well with Suarez in the opposition penalty area, but a shot from the latter is blocked well. This game continues to be very open indeed, with the hosts seemingly unable to exert any kind of control on proceedings. Soldado cuts in from the left-hand side, before placing another poor pass beyond Bakambu.
52'
Close from Digne! Again, the ex-Roma defender is found in space on the left-hand side and shoots from a very tight angle. Andres is forced to parry the ball onto the crossbar! Another good performance is being put in by the Villarreal goalkeeper tonight. He's stepped up to the plate brilliantly of late. The visitors counter, but Soldado once again fluffs his final ball.
50'
Digne almost manages to pounce upon a rare defensive error from Villarreal, but the French left-back loses his footing as he attempts to get into the box. The away side head up the other end, with Jaume Costa trying to link up with Soriano down the left, but a poorly weighted pass robs the Yellow Submarine a chance to test Barcelona's leaky defence again.
48'
Neymar bursts to the left byline and tries to wriggle a ball square across the face of the goal, but an outstretched leg from Andres denies the Brazilian the opportunity to supply a teammate. No changes from Luis Enrique at the interval, with the Asturian keeping faith in the same set-up that earned them a 2-1 lead.
46'
We are back underway in the second half at Camp Nou! One goal is the difference between the two sides, but Barcelona definitely haven't looked shy of making the odd mistake. Luis Enrique's men will need another to settle their nerves, as otherwise Blaugrana fans could be in for a nervy end to this contest.
45'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Sergio Busquets.
Busquets sets a simple pass into Messi and the latter creates everything by himself.
GOOOOOOOAL! MESSI MAKES IT 2-1! That's 100 goals for the MSN this season! The Argentina international beats two players all ends up, before slotting a finish beyond an unsighted Andres. It appeared to take a deflection off Mario, but the hosts won't care!
44'
Both teams are exchanging plenty of chances in the late stages of this first half, which is a stark contrast to a very measured opening half an hour. Suarez flashes a shot wide of the target, with Luis Enrique's side piling a lot of players forward. Barcelona are one mistake away from disaster.
42'
Huge chance for Soldado! The Villarreal striker is found in the penalty area by a brilliant cross from Soriano, but a header from the Spaniard is guided wide of the target. Opportunities don't get much clearer than that at Camp Nou. He had to at least test Ter Stegen. Barcelona head up the other end, with Suarez releasing Neymar into the box, but the Brazilian drags a shot shy of the far upright.
40'
Iniesta swings in a brilliant cross from the left-hand side for the Blaugrana, but Musacchio rises highest at the back post to make a vital headed clearance. In the next passage of play, Messi scampers down the right and clips a wonderful delivery into Pique, but the Spain international can only stretch to head wide of the target from a few yards out! Big chance goes begging.
38'
Neymar and Busquets combine to release Digne down the left-hand side, but a looping cross from the Frenchman is headed away at the back post with Messi unable to rise high enough. Luis Enrique's men are controlling most of the play, but they need a couple of goals to eliminate the risk of Villarreal taking some meaningful opportunities on the break.
36'
Ter Stegen mishits a clearance, with the Barcelona goalkeeper not having the most confident spell in this game. Villarreal have the tools to take advantage of mistakes such as these, with the hosts playing a very dangerous game. Goals are looking likely at both ends of the pitch.
34'
Back to square one for Barcelona, who are now needing to break down this resilient Villarreal defence once again. The hosts are pressing very high and it leaves them vulnerable to counter-attacks like the one that Bakambu has just profited from.
32'
C. Bakambu has scored a goal for Villarreal! Assist by Soldado.
Soldado plays his strike partner through on goal and watches Bakambu do the rest!
GOOOOOOOOAL! BAKAMBU MAKES IT 1-1! The Congolese striker is played through into the clear on the counter, and powerfully surges into the penalty area. He holds off Pique before thumping a good finish beyond the onrushing Ter Stegen. Awful defending from Barcelona!
30'
Wide from Messi! The Argentine star picks up possession in the penalty area and looks to shoot across goal, but Alvaro comes across to put some pressure on. The former drags an effort a long way wide of the far post, with Andres happy to let the ball run behind for a goal kick.
29'
Bakambu picks up the ball on the edge of the Barcelona penalty area, but then massively overcooks a pass into Soldado! The latter was in acres of space, and his strike partner is furious with himself for messing that up so badly. Villarreal maintain some pressure with two crosses from the left in quick succession, but the hosts clear them both.
27'
The away side try to threaten down the right-hand side, with a cross flashed in from Mario. Ter Stegen races out to claim it, but a lack of communication between the German shot-stopper and Pique sees the Spanish defender put a clearance behind for a corner! Very odd mix up. The resulting set piece comes to nothing.
25'
After a bright start, Villarreal have struggled to cause Barcelona any problems at Camp Nou. Bakambu and Soldado have been spectators on the halfway line, with the visitors spending all of their time sat back conservatively to try and frustrate the hosts.
23'
Luis Enrique's men have their lead, which vitally means that Villarreal will have no option but to press on if they want to pick up a result this evening. The hosts are dominating possession, with Fran Escriba's men defending the width of their own penalty box and no further.
21'
Neymar has scored a goal for Barcelona!
GOOOOOOOAL! NEYMAR MAKES IT 1-0! Messi tries to shoot from the left-hand side of the penalty area, but his effort is deflected fortunately into the path of the Brazil international. He brings the ball under control and slots a neat finish beyond Andres and into the back of the net.
20'
Messi tries to lift a free-kick effort over the wall, which he manages to do, but the Argentine forward can't get the power required on it. Andres makes a simple catch. If anything, that dead-ball opportunity was far too close to really shoot effectively.
19'
Álvaro González gets yellow.
Alvaro gets a yellow card for handball on the edge of his own penalty area, after a neat flick up from Messi caught the defender on his outstretched arm.
18'
Barcelona are happy to keep the ball within their back four, with Ter Stegen seeing quite a lot of possession in the opening quarter of an hour. The hope appears to be to get Villarreal to press high, so that a quick transition into the visitors' half could expose some weaknesses. It isn't working so far, mind you.
16'
Sergi Roberto gets yellow.
Sergi Roberto gets a yellow card for cynically hauling his man down as Villarreal looked to break upfield.
Messi is denied by Alvaro while trying to skip into the box, with the Villarreal centre-back happy to give away a corner. Neymar curls it in, but Jaume Costa eventually gets the danger away with his head. Barcelona continue to look the more likely to force the opposing goalkeeper into a save.
14'
The home side are just biding their time and waiting for a gap to appear, but Villarreal are defending very well. Sergi Roberto tries to cut infield and drive to the edge of the penalty box, but a poor touch from the full-back gifts it over to Alvaro. The away side manage to counter up the other end, with Dos Santos swinging in a cross quickly, but Rakitic is present to sweep a clearance away.
12'
Barcelona are being forced to look for more risky passes, due to Villarreal keeping things very compact and congested in the centre of the field. Neymar and Sergi Roberto will be key presences out wide, making the omission of Jordi Alba from the starting line-up even more questionable. Calm and measured starts from both teams.
10'
Messi is having to come quite deep to get involved in play for the hosts, with Villarreal keeping the space in between their lines very tight. Iniesta tries to clip a ball over the top for Suarez to challenge for, but Andres is quickly off his line to claim. No way through thus far.
8'
Villarreal have been playing some nice triangles inside their own half, but Bakambu and Soldado haven't really been involved in play thus far at Camp Nou. Escriba's men will be easing themselves through a risky period of the game, in an attempt to set themselves up to make the most of a chance on the counter later on.
6'
No chances have appeared in a cagey start to proceedings in Catalonia, with it clear that both of these sides have got big ambitions that need to be fuelled by a win today. Barcelona are right in the title race, but Villarreal need to keeping picking off points to avoid dropping out of the Europa League places between now and the end of the season.
4'
The Yellow Submarine are more than happy to go toe to toe with Barcelona in terms of retaining possession, with their midfield four very keen to get on the ball. Luis Enrique will be aware that his opponents today are more than capable of holding their own in every sense of the phrase.
2'
Barcelona ease their way into the game with some patient possession, with it clear that Villarreal are here to remain organised defensively and not give anything away to the hosts early on. Once they've navigated the early stages, they can then think about picking up a result.
1'
We are underway in the first half at Camp Nou! Nothing but a win is good enough for Barcelona, as Real Madrid play against Granada later. Villarreal, however, desperately need at least a share of the spoils to aid their charge for European football. This should be an interesting one!
Villarreal have priorities of their own, as Fran Escriba’s men are leading the race for fifth place and Europa League football. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are just a point behind, meaning that a slip up for the Yellow Submarine could prove very costly - but they arrive with the second-meanest defence in the division.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Barcelona’s home LaLiga clash against Villarreal, as Luis Enrique’s men continue to try and keep the pressure on Real Madrid in the title race. Heading into this contest, Blaugrana are top of the table on goal difference, but Los Blancos still have a game in hand to take advantage of.
TEAM NEWS: Lucas Digne gets a rare start at left-back for Barcelona, with Luis Enrique otherwise not making any selection surprises. Andres Iniesta is fit to start in central midfield, with Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi making up the fearsome front three. Arda Turan is fit enough for the bench once again, leaving the Blaugrana plenty of options on the bench.
TEAM NEWS: Roberto Soldado and Cedric Bakambu are the chosen front two for Villarreal, with Fran Escriba keeping things consistent. His captain, Bruno, misses out due to injury. Rodri gets a start in midfield on a big day for the young midfielder, while Mateo Musacchio and Jaume Costa both return from suspension to feature in the back four.
Barcelona starting line-up (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Digne; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Barcelona substitutes: Denis, Turan, Cillessen, Mascherano, Paco Alcacer, Jordi Alba, Andre Gomes.
HALF-TIME! Messi has come up big for Barcelona once again when it matters, with a goal from the Argentina international meaning that the hosts lead 2-1 over Villarreal. Bakambu made things interesting with an equaliser after an opener from Neymar, and this game is incredibly open. Luis Enrique will want to have a bit more control after the interval.
FULL-TIME! Barcelona strut to a 4-1 victory against Villarreal at Camp Nou, skipping past a potential banana skin in their title bid. Goals from Messi, Suarez and Neymar were needed to break the visitors' resolve, with Bakambu initially making things interesting with an equaliser. Luis Enrique's men get the job done, and quite comfortably in the end, with the ball now placed back in Real Madrid's court. That's all that we have time for, we hope to see you again next time.
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