Barcelona dismantled Valencia 5-0 at Mestalla in the fourth round of La Liga's regular season on Saturday. The visitors took an early lead through Lamine Yamal's sixth-minute goal, though a second attempt eight minutes in was cancelled by VAR. Fermín López doubled the advantage before half-time with a twenty-second-minute strike, and the visitors never looked back.
By then Barcelona had already established control. Raphael Dias Belloli extended the lead at fifty minutes, and Pedri added a fifth at seventy-nine. Lamine Yamal completed his brace with a confirmed goal in the eighty-fourth minute. Six Valencia substitutions at sixty-two minutes showed the extent of the damage, but they came too late.
We had backed Barcelona away from home with fifty-three per cent confidence. That prediction held up as the visitors took their chances ruthlessly. Barcelona created six big chances against Valencia's one, and their expected goals of 4.05 told the story. Valencia managed only 0.67 despite three shots on target.
The statistics painted a one-sided picture. Barcelona held seventy-four per cent possession and completed 724 passes compared to Valencia's 203. The home side had 26 per cent of the ball and managed just one key pass against nineteen for the visitors. Barcelona had ten shots on target to Valencia's two.
The result leaves Barcelona top of the table with twelve points from four wins. Valencia sit eighteenth with just one point from four games. The visitors' recent form speaks for itself — five wins in six matches across all competitions. Valencia have lost three of their last four league games.
