Barcelona 1-0 Celta Vigo: Pedri fires Xavi Hernandez’s side above Real Madrid to the top of La Liga table

Pedri scored the decisive goal as in-form Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga with a nervy 1-0 victory over Celta at Camp Nou. Xavi Hernandez’s side have now won seven straight league games and move above Real Madrid courtesy of a superior goal difference. Ad Pedri was handed a gift in the 19th-minute when Unai Nunez made a mess of his attempted clearance from Gavi’s cross, leaving the teenager with an empty net to slot into.

Champions LeagueThe Europa League looms large over Barcelona again – The Warm-Up05/10/2022 AT 07:20 Celta would have been relieved to be trailing by only a goal at half-time, such was Barcelona’s dominance at times in the first half. Ferran Torres twice went close and should have done better, drawing criticism from the home supporters who whistled the former Manchester City forward. A slight tactical tweak sparked an improvement and relieved the pressure from Celta midway through the half.

Oscar Rodriguez missed a gilt-edged opportunity to level matters two minutes after the restart as the visitors upped the ante in search of an equaliser. Iago Aspas hit the post from a tight angle before Jorgen Strand Larsen headed home the rebound into an empty net – but the offside flag was quickly raised to cut short Celta’s celebrations. Marc Andre ter Stegen recovered from a back problem to deny Aspas with a quite brilliant reaction save with his foot, and a moment later the Celta skipper then failed to hit the target from point-blank range.