Robert Lewandowski scored a hat trick to help Barcelona gain ground on Real Madrid in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona Edges Past Celta in Vigo
The result halted Celta's five-game winning streak across all tournaments. Lamine Yamal put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time, and Lewandowski sealed the victory in the 73rd minute.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was sent off in second-half stoppage time after being shown a second yellow card.
"We made some mistakes, but we did much better in the second half, with more control of the ball and the game, and we defended much better," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said.
"In the end we are very happy because we won a very difficult game," Lewandowski said. "Here it's always difficult to play."
Other La Liga Results
Villarreal stayed in third place, five points behind Madrid, after winning 2-0 at Espanyol for its third league victory in a row.
Athletic Bilbao snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Oviedo 1-0 with a 25th-minute goal by Nico Williams.
Mallorca defeated eighth-placed Getafe 1-0 at home with a first-half goal by Vedat Muriqi.
Valencia's winless streak in the league reached seven games after a 1-1 home draw with fifth-placed Real Betis. Luis Rioja equalized in the 82nd minute.
Madrid Coach Comments
"We know where we are. You have to know how to balance the good times and the bad times. It's a long season. The demands are huge, but we can cope with them and we're preparing for them," Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said.
"It's still November, there's a long way to go. We have to be demanding of ourselves and also prudent," Alonso added.
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press