Barcelona made it five wins from five La Liga games with a 2-0 victory over lowly Granada on Saturday.
The home side left it late with an 87th-minute strike from Xavi and a Borja Gomez own goal the difference, but they have now opened up an 11-point lead over current champions Real Madrid.
For Granada, it's now 18 trips to the Nou Camp without a single point, while they remain in the relegation zone without a league victory to their name this season.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two clubs.
Match statistics:
Barcelona:
Shots 14
On target 11
Possession 75%
Corners 14
Fouls 10
Granada:
Shots 6
On target 3
Possession 25%
Corners 5
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
On the balance of play, you would be hard pushed to argue that Barcelona didn't deserve to win. The possession and shot statistics tell their own story, but it could have been oh so different. Granada keeper Tono was in inspired form for the away side, but they too passed up opportunities in the latter stages.
Barcelona's performance
6/10. Something still isn't quite right with Barcelona. They were poor by their standards in the opening half and although they raised it in the second period, they were still not at their best. They needed a special special strike from Xavi to send them on their way to three points, but they remain suspect in defence.
Granada's performance
7/10. So so unlucky not to secure a result. On the balance of play and the facts of the match, Barcelona deserved to win. But Granada set up in such a way that their defensive shield so nearly worked. People will argue that they were anti-football, but what are they supposed to do, go and play attack versus attack against the best side in the world? Not a chance.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Tono. Xavi changed the match for Barcelona when he was introduced in the second period, but the Granada stopper made three or four world-class saves to keep his side in it late on. He didn't deserve to be on the losing team this evening.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Granada had a host of chances on the counter attack late on, but too often their final ball let them down. When presented with such opportunities at the Nou Camp, you just have to take them. And they didn't.
Referee performance
Carlos del Cerro Grande had a fairly straightforward 90 minutes this evening. He was quick on the scene to stop play when needed, but he also let the match flow in the right areas. He also rightly waved away a couple of late penalty shouts for Barcelona.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan club will look to continue their winning run when they face Sevilla next Saturday.
Granada: Granada will resume their search for their first league win of the season against Celta Vigo next Sunday.
Matt Law
