Barcelona regains La Liga lead, cruise to 3-0 win over Oviedo

Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 home win over Real Oviedo on Saturday, but Hansi Flick’s side had to work far harder than the scoreline suggested at Camp Nou. 

Goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal eventually settled a disjointed contest against opponents rooted to the bottom of the table.

Oviedo began brightly and threatened to take an early lead, exploiting Barcelona’s sloppy passing and slow tempo. 

The visitors looked comfortable amid a stop-start first half punctuated by free-kicks and injury breaks, and they went close on a couple of occasions as Barca struggled to impose themselves or create clear chances.

The hosts showed brief signs of life before the interval, with Robert Lewandowski unable to capitalise on deliveries into the box and Raphinha seeing a tight-angle volley saved. 

Despite dominating possession, Barcelona lacked urgency and cohesion, leaving the crowd restless at the break.

The breakthrough arrived 10 minutes into the second half after a rare moment of intensity. 

Lamine Yamal led a high press that forced an error as Oviedo tried to play out, and the loose ball fell to Olmo, who drilled a composed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Five minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage thanks to more defensive calamity from the visitors. A stray backpass allowed Raphinha to race clear and delicately lift the ball over goalkeeper Aaron Escandell, giving Flick’s side the breathing space they had been craving.

Yamal then added the highlight of the afternoon in the 73rd minute, launching himself to meet a cross that had drifted behind him and crashing an acrobatic volley into the net. 

With heavy rain falling in Catalunya, Barcelona eased off late on, content to see out a win that restored them to the summit and once again showcased the match-winning quality of their young star.