Ousmane Dembele gave Barcelona a glimpse into the future but Barcelona still needed Lionel Messi to beat Leganes 3-1 on Sunday and restore its five-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Messi had started on the bench, rested by coach Ernesto Valverde, and for just over an hour at the Camp Nou, Dembele filled the void by scoring the opening goal.
The 21-year-old, however, limped off with a sprained ankle in the 69th minute, shortly after Leganes had equalised through Martin Braithwaite and Valverde responded by introducing Messi.
He needed only seven minutes to make an impact as his curling shot found Luis Suarez who poked the ball past Leganes goalkeeper Pichu Cuellar. Messi completed the tally in injury-time.
Leganes had protested against Suarez’s goal, convinced that Pichu had been fouled by a high foot. “It was a clear foul,” coach Mauricio Pellegrino said. “Barca don’t need these kind of decisions to help them.”
VAR’s decision
But VAR disagreed and Barcelona advanced to what was, in truth, a fully deserved victory. Leganes had beaten Barcelona at home in September but that remains its high point of the season.
Valverde was accused of failing to rest key players last term, to the detriment of its progress in the Champions League, and his gamble to spare his star player just about paid off.
“There are lots of games,” Valverde said. “We talk to the players and decide when it may be good for them to rest.”
“It was difficult with and without Messi,” Pellegrino said.
Barcelona needed him in the end but for a while, Dembele, and the 21-year-old Carles Alena in midfield, had shown there may yet be life after Messi, who turns 32 in June.
Dembele was at the heart of everything in the first half, his hips slaloming through the hapless Leganes defence which swarmed around him in numbers but always seemed a step behind.
A cheeky nutmeg was followed by an audacious scoop which found Suarez, but the striker shot wide. It was a classy finish for the opening goal too.
Gerard Pique started it, driving from deep in defence down the wing. Alena took over and found Dembele, who spread the ball wide to Jordi Alba. When the ball came back, Dembele opened up his body and his right foot, guiding the ball first-time into the bottom corner.
After half-time, Philippe Coutinho fired over after another Dembele flick and it felt like only a matter of time before another goal.
Drawing level
However, it was Leganes which scored. Alba was caught out and Youssef En-Neysri nipped in. His fizzing cross found Braithwaite who darted ahead of Pique to prod home.
Messi, who had been warming up, was quickly introduced. Alena made way and shortly after Dembele followed, his brilliant night cut short. Malcom replaced him.
Seven minutes passed between Messi’s substitution and Suarez’s goal. Messi cut in from the right and curled a shot towards the top corner, where Pichu dived to meet it and palmed the ball away. As it dropped, Suarez got there first, stabbing in the rebound at around hip-height before clattering into the keeper’s chest. VAR checked and Leganes protested. The goal stood.
Suarez should have scored again but shot straight at Pichu, who gathered, rushed out and barged into the shoulder of the Uruguayan.
Any doubt was dispelled, however, as Messi exchanged with Alba in injury-time. A swoop of the Argentinian’s right foot was all it needed to seal the issue.
The results:
La Liga: Rayo Vallecano 2 (Comesana 22, Embarba Blazquez 28) drew with Real Sociedad 2 (Moreno 39, Willian Jose 82); Levante 2 (Coke 42, Roger 90+5) bt Valladolid 0; Barcelona 3 (Dembele 32, Suarez 71, Messi 90+2) bt Leganes 1 (Braithwaite 57).
Serie A: Cagliari 2 (Pavoletti 36, Farias 90+1) drew with Empoli 2 (Di Lorenzo 70, Zajc 81); Napoli 2 (Callejon 34, Milik 37) bt Lazio 1 (Immobile 65).
