Yamal hat-trick fires Barca four points clear
Lamine Yamal scored the first hat-trick of his career as Barcelona beat visitor Villarreal 4-1 in LaLiga to move four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
Barcelona has 64 points while second-placed Madrid is on 60 points ahead of its home game against Getafe on Tuesday (AEDT). Villarreal remains a distant third on 51.
It was a pulsating, finely balanced encounter in which the scoreline failed to reflect the drama.
Villarreal created a number of chances and repeatedly exposed Barcelona's defensive line, but was punished by an 18-year-old in devastating form.
Yamal put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute after Fermin Lopez robbed Pape Gueye and slipped a pass down the right for the 18-year-old to finish low inside the left post.
He doubled the lead nine minutes later with a dazzling solo run, controlling a long ball on the right wing before cutting inside past Sergi Cardona and Alvaro Moleiro to curl an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Gueye pulled one back from close range in the 49th minute, but Villarreal missed chances to equalise and paid the price as Yamal completed his hat-trick in the 69th minuted with another counter-attack.
Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to add a fourth in stoppage-time, tapping in from Jules Kounde's low cross from the right.
Yamal's second strike was a moment of individual brilliance. After controlling a long ball on the right wing, he glided past Cardona and Moleiro before unleashing a stunning shot into the far top corner.
Villarreal had chances to respond, with Ayoze missing from close range, while Raphinha rattled the woodwork from a free-kick and Kounde had an effort ruled out for offside before half-time.
Barcelona continued to carve out openings after the break. Dani Olmo was denied from close range by Luiz Junior, and it was made to sweat when Gueye pulled one back in the 49th minute.
Ayoze squandered a chance to equalise six minutes later as he latched on to a long pass but dragged his shot wide of the empty net.
The miss proved costly as Yamal completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute before Lewandowski added a fourth in stoppage-time to complete the win.
"They were a very good opponents hence I'm happy to have scored three goals," Yamal said after the match.
"In the lead up to the second goal, I waited for them to come at me so I could dribble past them, and as for the finish, well, I had to get one in."
Yamal also admitted after the match that he had endured a challenging period this season.
"People expect me to score 100 goals at 16, but I wasn't feeling well for a while," he said.
"It was a mix of everything, pubalgia ... I wasn't happy, it showed, but for about a week now I've been feeling better. I smile while I play, I'm happy playing. I'm very happy.
"I'm very happy with the team's victory; [Villarreal] were a very good opponent, and I'm happy with the three goals.
"On the second goal, I waited for them to come at me so I could dribble past them, and the finish... well... one of them had to go in.
"I told [Barcelon boss Hansi] Flick to wait for my goal, the third one, to substitute me, not for the team's third goal. And it was mine at the end."
When asked by a reporter if this was the best he has ever played, the 18-year-old was candid, adding: "My best version? I don't know, you tell me."
Yamal’s treble also marked a historic moment for LaLiga, as he became the first player under the age of 19 to score a hat-trick in the competition in 59 years.
The Spaniard now has 27 goals in 95 matches in the Spanish top-flight, becoming the first player to reach 25 before turning 19 in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st Century.
Flick was thrilled for Yamal, saying: "We needed Lamine Yamal to come back.
"We needed for him to score three goals and regain his confidence. It's really important to mention his defensive work as well. He was pressing hard."
