Blaugrana move back to top of La Liga

Barcelona surged back to the summit of LaLiga with a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad.

A clinical performance from the hosts, aided by an early red card for Sociedad captain Aritz Elustondo, saw them continue their push for the league title.

Real Sociedad thought they had a dream start when they found the net just four minutes in, with Ander Barrenetxea’s cutback leading to Jon Gomez’s deflected finish. However, the goal was quickly ruled out due to a marginal offside by Jon Lopez in the buildup, foreshadowing a frustrating afternoon for the visitors.

Things took a drastic turn in the 17th minute when Sociedad captain Elustondo was shown a straight red card. The defender brought down Dani Olmo, who was racing through on goal, leaving referee Alejandro Quintero Gonzalez with no choice but to send him off. From that moment, the game took on a predictable pattern, with Barcelona asserting complete control.

The breakthrough arrived eight minutes after the red card. A dazzling move from Lamine Yamal saw the teenager bamboozle Lopez before setting up Olmo inside the box.

The Spaniard delivered a perfectly floated pass to left-back Gerard Martin, who volleyed home his first senior goal in stunning fashion to give Barcelona a well-earned lead.

🔥🔥 FULL TIME!!!! 🔥🔥#BarçaRealSociedad pic.twitter.com/8d4f6Hjm9a

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 2, 2025

The floodgates threatened to open, and the second goal came in the 29th minute. Pedri’s corner was punched clear by Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro, but the ball fell to Olmo, whose powerful strike took a fortunate deflection off Marc Casado before nestling into the bottom corner.

With a two-goal cushion and a numerical advantage, Barcelona continued to dominate after the break. Sociedad, already struggling to keep pace, retreated deeper into their defensive shape but could not hold out against the relentless Blaugrana attack.

Barcelona’s third came in the 56th minute, courtesy of Ronald Araujo. A corner from Yamal found Robert Lewandowski, whose header was instinctively saved by Remiro. However, the rebound fell kindly for Araujo, who nodded home his first LaLiga goal of the season, ironically against the same side he last scored against in November 2023.

Just four minutes later, Lewandowski added his name to the scoresheet to make it 4-0. Araujo turned provider this time, dragging a low shot across goal, which the Polish striker instinctively redirected past Remiro. The goal marked his 21st of the LaLiga campaign and underlined Barcelona’s ruthlessness in front of goal.

The victory extends Barcelona’s home dominance over Real Sociedad, having now won 26 of their last 27 home meetings in LaLiga. More importantly, it propels them back to the top of the league table as they continue their title challenge.