Barcelona maintained the only 100% record in LaLiga with a commanding 5-0 victory over Valencia at Estadio Mestalla, securing their fourth consecutive league win of the season.
Lamine Yamal gave the visitors an early lead after only five minutes, lifting the ball over Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski after Fermin Lopez had floated a pass into the space behind the home defence.
Yamal appeared to have doubled Barcelona’s advantage three minutes later, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Barcelona dominated possession, holding around 80% of the ball, although Valencia created their first promising opening shortly after the 15-minute mark. David Otorbi was unable to make the most of the chance as the hosts struggled to make an impact in the final third.
The visitors quickly restored their control and extended their lead soon afterwards. Fermin Lopez collected the ball before driving a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Valencia did threaten midway through the first half after an error by Rodri. Arnaut Danjuma’s attempt forced Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia into action, with the keeper having to scramble to deal with the danger.
However, Barcelona remained the more dangerous side. Fermin Lopez twice showed his sharp footwork to create room for another effort before the interval, but his shot struck the woodwork.
The pattern continued after half-time, with Barcelona maintaining control and Valencia unable to build sustained pressure. The visitors missed a further opportunity before Raphinha added a third, tapping the ball in from almost on the goal line.
Rodri then came close to pulling one back for Valencia when his powerful header struck the crossbar. Despite the home side’s efforts, the match retained the feel of a one-sided training exercise as Barcelona continued to dictate the tempo.
Valencia introduced several substitutes in an attempt to change the contest, but the changes made little difference. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Pedri exchanged passes with Dani Olmo before finishing the move to make it 4-0.
Barcelona were not finished. Yamal completed the scoring soon afterwards, with Olmo again providing the assist as the teenager added his second goal of the match.
The result leaves Valencia with one of their poorest starts to a season in the past decade. Their record after four matches now matches their worst opening to a campaign during that period.
Barcelona’s latest success also extended their strong recent record against Los Che. They have now won 11 of the past 14 meetings between the clubs.
Fermin Lopez was named Flashscore’s Man of the Match for Barcelona.
Full match statistics are available through Flashscore.