Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao, scoring the 4,000th home league goal in the club's history and also laying on three assists.
French international Dembele had looked to leave Camp Nou over the summer after his contract was allowed to run down. Instead, though, new terms were eventually agreed and he has continued to thrive after an impressive end to last season.
Despite missing the start of the 2021-22 campaign after suffering an injury at Euro 2020, Dembele led LaLiga for assists last term. His resurgence under Xavi has continued into the new season, and he sits atop the charts once more.
Barcelona were under pressure as they prepared to welcome Athletic to Catalunya, having lost ground to Real Madrid with a defeat in El Clasico earlier in the month. Madrid had left it late to beat Sevilla on Saturday, but things were more straightforward for Barca.
It was Dembele himself who opened the scoring inside 15 minutes on Sunday. The 25-year-old then laid on goals for Sergio Roberto and Robert Lewandowski before half-time.
Ferran Torres completed the scoring from another Dembele assist, and the Frenchman got a welcome rest when Xavi took him off 13 minutes from time. The result meant Barca remain within three points of Madrid, though there was a slight worry when Roberto went off injured late on.
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"The confidence today, the intensity, was the key point to win this game because Athletic press high very well," Xavi said after the victory. "We understood very well that the superiority was inside today with Pedri coming in.
"I think it was one of the best games we did here at home. A complete game - I'm very happy, I'm very satisfied."
The result was an important one for Barcelona domestically, but the pressure remains on Xavi's side with their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance. A last-gasp equaliser from Lewandowski at home to Inter Milan kept alive their chances of qualifying for the last 16, but things won't be easy for last season's Europa League quarter-finalists.
Barcelona host Bayern Munich on Wednesday with the Bundesliga champions boasting a perfect record in the competition. Even a win might not be enough, though with Inter knowing they will guarantee themselves a spot in the knockout stages with three points against Viktoria Plzen.
"We have huge potential even when not everything is going well," Lewandowski said after the victory over Athletic. "We have to think positive, we have to show our fans we can deliver an amazing game with the goals and also our performance, and challenge for the next game."
