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Two second-half substitutes stepped up for Barcelona to help secure a 2-1 comeback win at Elche in La Liga on Sunday. Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay scored in the final 30 minutes as the Blaugrana extended their unbeaten league run to 11 games.
Elche had taken the lead on the cusp of half-time to put Barcelona on the back foot, who missed a few sitters in the first half. Nevertheless, they responded with two late strikes to go third in the standings. The Blaugrana are level on points with holders Atletico Madrid, but have a game in hand.
Xavi has now made it three league wins in a row for the first time since taking over last year. However, the Blaugrana needed an 84th-minute penalty from Memphis Depay to take all three points.
Elche took a surprise lead in the 44th minute after Pedri gifted possession to Fidel with a wayward clearance. The Spaniard made no mistake in finding the back of the net, squeezing his effort into the far post, opting for finesse over power.
The visitors could've taken an early lead, but Frenkie De Jong failed to convert twice from close range. His first effort bang in front of goal was cleared off the line by Diego Gonzalez. Eleven minutes later, with just the keeper to beat, the Dutchman produced a curling effort that was saved by Edgar Badía.
Ferran Torres, who replaced Gavi in the second half, restored parity for Barcelona, poking in Jordi Alba's cross from close range. VAR then awarded a penalty to the visitors after Antonio Barragan seemingly blocked Depay's cross with his arm.
The Dutch winger comfortably converted from the spot to secure the winner. The hosts saw late handball appeals against Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in the final ten minutes fall on deaf ears.
As Barcelona's unbeaten run in 2022 continues, here are the Blaugrana player ratings from the game:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - 6.5/10
Having left hung out to dry by Pedri's wayward backpass, he narrowed the angle for Fidel, covering his near post well. Ter Stegen ended up conceding, but displayed his sharp reflexes late on, making a diving save in injury time to deny Guido Carrillo.
Jordi Alba - 7/10
Alba ended the game with an assist, but it was not a quintessentially energetic performance down the left flank from the veteran. Tete Morente and Antonio Barragan's runs made him drop a bit deeper. Nevertheless, Alba managed four key passes, more than anyone else on the pitch. He also made nine recoveries.
Gerard Pique - 7/10
The veteran put in a solid shift, winning more aerial duels than anyone on the pitch (6). Pique also had more ball involvement than any other player (102 touches). He also led Barcelona players in terms of clearances (4).
Ronald Araujo - 7/10
Araujo added to his growing reputation as a reliable centre-half with his no-nonsense defending. Only Elche defender John Mojica had more tackles to his name (4) than Araujo (3).
Dani Alves - 6.5/10
The Brazilian pushed forward as Alba stayed behind, and at times seemed to have forgotten that he is a right-back, not a right winger. Alves was the closest player to Fidel as the latter went on to score, but did his best with a last-ditch sliding tackle.
Sergio Busquets - 7.5/10
Calm in possession, the captain helped recycle possession effectively. He blocked three shots, and had two successful tackles and two interceptions in the game.
Pedri - 5.5/10
Pedri had a decent outing in the game except for his error leading to Elche's goal. He had just one key pass in the game, but there was much more to his outing. As his heatmap suggests, Pedri covered almost every inch of the pitch in the game.
Frenkie de Jong - 5/10
De Jong could get the slack from Barcelona fans for failing to score twice in the first half. He did not contribute anything in defence, making just one recovery. The only positive to take home was his 92.3% pass accuracy.
Gavi - 5/10
Not to be overly harsh on the teenager, but Gavi was largely anonymous in the game as Xavi took him out after the first half.
Ousmane Dembele: 7/10
Ousmane Dembele looked lively from the get-go, utilising his pace and skills to torment the Elche defenders.
Barcelona tried to build every attacking move in the first half through the Frenchman. The addition of Torres after the break shifted the club's approach, though. Dembele also contributed in defence, making a couple of tackles and interceptions apiece.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6/10
Aubameyang arrived on good goal-scoring form, but didn't score on the night. He was taken off in the 75th minute for eventual goalscorer Depay, without recording a single shot on target.
Ratings of Barcelona substitutes against Elche
Ferran Torres - 7/10
He brought much-needed energy on the left flank, pulling the visitors' level just 15 minutes after coming on. His direct approach in the final third inspired the Blaugrana to attack more. However, Depay was a bit wasteful in front of goal, missing three big chances.
Nico Gonzalez - 6/10
A welcome change in place of De Jong, Gonzalez added a bit more steel to midfield.
Memphis Depay - 6.5/10
In an impressive 15-minute cameo, Depay pushed Elche defenders on the back foot. He also kept his cool to earn and convert a penalty.
Adama Traore - 6/10
He hit the ground running with a high-intensity display, picking up one key pass in his 15-minute appearance.
