Barcelona beats Eibar to go 31 unbeaten
Barcelona was made to fight at 10-man Eibar, but Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba broke through to seal another LaLiga victory.
Luis Suarez's 17th LaLiga goal of the season helped Barcelona return to winning ways with a hard-earned 2-0 win at 10-man Eibar.
On the back of consecutive league draws against Espanyol and Getafe, Barca boss Ernesto Valverde resisted the urge to shuffle his pack and named an XI it would be no surprise to see line up for Wednesday's (AEDT) Champions League match at Chelsea.
It was just as well, with Barca forced to repel wave after wave of attacks from Jose Luis Mendilibar's relentlessly high-pressing side.
Respite arrived courtesy of Suarez's well-taken 16th-minute goal, which was beautifully created by Lionel Messi's left boot.
Messi hit the post after Eibar's Fabian Orellana, although the gifted but temperamental Chilean right-winger undermined the hosts' efforts by receiving his third red card in 12 appearances against Barca midway through the second half.
Remarkably, that did not check Eibar's ambition but Jordi Alba was able to seal the points a minute from time.
Valverde's team has now equalled a club record by going 31 LaLiga games unbeaten and enjoy a 10-point lead at the summit, at least until Atletico Madrid hosts Athletic Bilbao on Monday (AEDT).
In a run going back to last season, Barca's streak matches the club-best run established by Pep Guardiola's domestic and European champion side of 2010-2011.
Valverde's team can set a new record when it hosts neighbour Girona next weekend, on the other side of the UEFA Champions League trip to Stamford Bridge.
Avoiding defeat in the all-Catalan clash would also equal Real Sociedad's all-time LaLiga record of 32 games unbeaten, which dates back to the 1979-1980 campaign.
