Barcelona cruise past Getafe, Real Madrid stutter to win over Villarreal

MADRID: Barcelona extended their perfect LaLiga start with ​a comfortable 3-0 home win over Getafe on Saturday before Real Madrid overcame Villarreal 1-0 despite having Vinicius Jr sent ‌off.

Barca’s victory makes it eight wins for Hansi Flick’s side and maintains their five-point lead at the top over Atletico Madrid, who won 2-1 at Alaves with a late Cristian Romero goal.

Real Madrid’s narrow win keeps them in third place on 18 points, six points off the pace set by their arch-rivals, but Jose Mourinho is no closer to improving ​their performances.

The three-week international break did little to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm and they went ahead after two minutes when Anthony Gordon ​cut inside and saw his shot deflect off Getafe midfielder Mario Martin and beyond goalkeeper David Soria.

The visitors struggled ⁠to escape their own half under sustained pressure and Gabriel Jesus punished a giveaway by Zaid Romero to score on the half-hour in ​his first start for Barca.

The hosts remained firmly in control after the break, with Getafe testing Joan Garcia only once on the keeper’s return from ​injury.

Jules Kounde, who missed a clear chance in the first half, completed the scoring for Barca in the 73rd minute with a simple finish from Lamine Yamal’s curling cross.

Mbappe hits the post

Real had the clearer first-half openings against Villarreal, with Kylian Mbappe’s seventh-minute shot hitting the post.

They remained unconvincing on the ball, although neither side ​was able to direct proceedings. Villarreal were equally imprecise with their passes and chances were in short supply.

The tempo increased in the second half and ​Yan Diomande scored the winner when he beat the offside trap in the 63rd minute and found the bottom corner of the net. It was the Ivory ‌Coast forward’s ⁠first goal for Real since joining in August.

A forlorn Vinicius Jr watched 19-year-old Diomande in the Brazilian’s preferred left-wing position from the bench in the first half but was bright when he came on after 52 minutes to replace wing back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Eight minutes after the opener, Vinicius thought he had scored Real’s second, with Mourinho jogging to the goal-line to celebrate with the substitute.

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However, after a VAR review, the goal was chalked ​off and Vinicius was sent off ​for pulling substitute Nathan Saliba’s hair ⁠in the build-up.

An open game ensued, with Villarreal’s Peter Gulacsi and Real’s Thibaut Courtois making excellent saves. In the closing stages, the frustrated visitors could not stretch their 10-man hosts sufficiently to find gaps in their ​backline.

The fiery reaction to Vinicius’ sending off from Mourinho and his players infused Real’s defending with extra ​intensity, and a positive ⁠rearguard effort was rewarded with a clean sheet.

Mourinho did not attend his post-match press conference, with no reason given by the club. The Portuguese now begins preparations for Real’s next game at AS Roma in the Champions League as he searches for a consistent pattern of play.

Atletico grab late winner

Atletico’s Alejandro ⁠Grimaldo opened ​the scoring against Alaves after a brilliant interchange with Jonathan David before a Lucas Boye ​penalty for the hosts in first-half stoppage time.

But Angel Perez was sent off for Alaves in the 61st minute and Atletico’s pressure told three minutes from time, with central defender Romero scoring from a deft ​Alex Baena assist.

Rayo Vallecano’s home clash with Athletic Club was abandoned due to fan protests at Vallecas Stadium.