Barcelona hit Valencia for six in ruthless La Liga response to recent draw

The win came as the ideal response to last weekend's frustrating draw against Rayo Vallecano, and it was achieved without teenage star Lamine Yamal, who is still sidelined through injury.

Fermin Lopez opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, smashing a low shot into the corner after a clever touch from Ferran Torres. Barcelona had already been denied by goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, who saved efforts from Jules Kounde and Lopez, but the breakthrough put Hansi Flick's side firmly in control.

After the break, Barca's attack exploded. Raphinha doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute when he diverted Marcus Rashford's cross into the corner. Three minutes later, Lopez struck again with a fierce long-range effort that beat Agirrezabala despite the keeper's fingertip touch.

Valencia's defence then collapsed under pressure, with Raphinha pouncing on a poor clearance to score his second in the 66th minute.

Substitute Lewandowski soon joined the party, slotting home Dani Olmo's through ball with a superb finish into the top corner. The Polish striker rounded off the scoring in the 86th minute when VAR overturned an initial offside call against his looping strike.

Speaking after the emphatic victory, Flick praised his squad's response: "The players reacted exactly how I wanted after last week. We showed intensity, discipline and the quality that this team must always have. It was a very complete performance."

The result lifted Barcelona to second in the La Liga table with 10 points from four matches, two behind Real Madrid, who lead with 12. Flick's attention now turns to Thursday's Champions League clash at home to Newcastle, where he will hope his side can carry their momentum into Europe.

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