Barcelona beat Celta Vigo 1-0 to reclaim first place in La Liga on goal differential.
After Gavi’s left-wing cross was blocked. The 19-year-old made the fastest reaction to scoring his second goal of the year by turning home from three yards.
Barca put up a fragmented effort. And Celta pushed after falling and came dangerously near when Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header was overturned.
Goncalo Paciencia struck a post, and Iago Aspas had a shot blocked.
With a 1-0 victory against Getafe on Saturday, Real Madrid had risen to the top of the league.
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The two teams will square off in the first El Classico of the season on Sunday, with both teams having won seven and drawn one of their first eight league games (15:15 BST).
Ferran Torres, a former Manchester City winger, curled wide early on for Barcelona, which has lost two of its first three Champions League group games. Summer arrivals Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski both had shots saved.
While Celta recovered after falling behind but failed to display a clinical edge in the final third to gain a deserving point, Xavi’s team struggled to maintain coherence and quality for significant portions of the game.
Barcelona has only let up one goal in the league this year. And they have won four of their four home games without allowing a goal.
