La Liga: Barcelona go third after beating Elche 2-1

Barcelona climbed to third in La Liga on Sunday after coming from behind to defeat Elche 2-1, with Memphis Depay scoring a late penalty to seal a hard-fought win. Elche took an unexpected lead at the Martinez Valero when Fidel capitalised on a Pedri error on the stroke of half-o time, however, Barca came storming back thanks to two substitutes. Ferran Torres diverted in from close range on the hour before Depay scored an 84th-minute penalty after the striker had drawn Elche’s Antonio Barragan into a handball. “It seemed we were going to lose a game we did not deserve to lose,” said Barca coach Xavi Hernandez. “We deserved to win by more than one goal.”

A win sends Barcelona two points above Real Betis and three clear of Atletico Madrid in the table, before Betis and Atletico face each other in a crucial battle for the top four later on Sunday.

“We have four wins in a row, this has not happened for a long time, it’s a good sign,” said Xavi. “The players believe in what we are doing. We are on the right path.”