Barcelona 3-1 Elche: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal star for title chasers in La Liga win

Barcelona bounced back from their El Clasico disappointment by beating promoted Elche 3-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in La Liga on Sunday.

Hansi Flick's side showed their intent to set things right from the start, and La Blaugrana's proactive style saw Alejandro Balde latch onto a misplaced pass, dribble forward at pace and set up Lamine Yamal to open the scoring with just nine minutes on the clock.

The hosts then doubled their lead only two minutes later when Fermin Lopez pounced on a failed interception in Los Franjiverdes' backline before accelerating into the box and handing Ferran Torres a tap in.

However, former Barcelona youth player Rafa Mir halved the deficit shortly before half time with an excellent curler into the bottom-left corner, using Ronald Araujo as a guide for placement.

Mir then came close to levelling the game early in the second period but saw his effort sail over, only for Marcus Rashford to fire a third in for La Blaugrana with a fantastic strike on his weaker foot that bounced in off the crossbar.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

After losing 2-1 in the Clasico on October 26 - and seeing Real Madrid beat Valencia 4-0 on Saturday - Barca found themselves eight points behind Los Blancos in the La Liga title race ahead of kickoff, and it was crucial that they won.

Prior to this clash, Flick's men had lost two of their previous three league games, and given Elche's defensive robustness, the manager will be delighted that his team's offensive capabilities were enough to secure the victory.

As for Eder Sarabia's visitors, this match against title-chasing opposition will not define their season, and though they may have lost, they have made a strong start to life back in the top flight.

Los Franjiverdes are currently ninth with 14 points after 11 games, and given that they remain five points clear of the bottom three, the promoted side will be confident of surviving in 2025-26.

BARCELONA VS. ELCHE HIGHLIGHTS

9th min: Barcelona 1-0 Elche (Lamine Yamal)

Elche struggle to play out from the back under pressure, and Balde intercepts a pass near the halfway line on the left flank before driving forward at pace, cutting inside and delivering a through ball to Yamal on the right, inside the box.

The forward then chops back onto his left foot and fires a powerful strike across the goalkeeper into the top-left corner.

11th min: Barcelona 2-0 Elche (Ferran Torres)

Eric Garcia lofts a pass from centre-back towards Rashford, and while the Elche backline intercept the ball, the defender slips, allowing Lopez to capitalise by stealing possession and bursting into the left side of the box, from where he provides a perfect cross for Torres to tap home six-yards out.

The Barca man pays tribute to the victims of the October 2024 Spanish floods with his celebration.

42nd min: Barcelona 2-1 Elche (Rafa Mir)

Alvaro Nunez plays it out to Rafa Mir on the left flank, and the forward carries the ball into the box before squaring up Araujo and curling a precise finish into the bottom-right corner, giving Wojciech Szczesny no chance.

61st min: Barcelona 3-1 Elche (Marcus Rashford)

Lopez picks out Rashford with a cross from the right flank, and the Manchester United loanee controls the ball before powering past Adria Pedrosa and finishing with venom off the crossbar from a tight angle on the left-hand side of the goal.

MAN OF THE MATCH - FERMIN LOPEZ

The Barca midfielder provided two assists for his teammates on Sunday, and his link-up with his attacking teammates is a major asset for Flick's side.

Lopez dribbled into the box before crossing for Torres to score a tap in early on and played a cross-field ball to Rashford for La Blaugrana's third around the hour mark.

BARCELONA VS. ELCHE MATCH STATS

Possession: Barcelona 49%-51% Elche

Shots: Barcelona 17-9 Elche

Shots on target: Barcelona 5-3 Elche

Corners: Barcelona 6-3 Elche

Fouls: Barcelona 12-16 Elche

BEST STATS

? | FermíNext LeveLópez

Most goal involvements for Barcelona across all competitions this season:

? 11 – Marcus Rashford (14 apps)
? 9 – Lamine Yamal (9 apps)
? 8 – Fermín López (9 apps)

Another POTM for the 22-year-old, as he continues a strong start to the season ?? pic.twitter.com/RAYovvaI26
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) November 2, 2025

?️ | Everybody eats at Barça

For the first time since their 7–1 win over Valencia in January, every member of Barcelona's starting front four has recorded a goal involvement in a LaLiga match:

⚽️ Rashford
?️?️ López
⚽️ Yamal
⚽️ Torres

Return to winning ways. ?#BarcaElche pic.twitter.com/N5y2Xb9FrN
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) November 2, 2025