The Poland striker waited for his moment to come and pounced in the dying minutes of the game to secure a win for his team
Barcelona have Robert Lewandowski to thank for a vital three points against Valencia.
The Polish striker got on the end of a Raphinha cross to grab a late, late goal that sealed a 1-0 win against the home team.
Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele both underwhelmed for the visitors and left Lewandowski isolated in the box, while Ferran Torres fluffed his lines when presented with a golden opportunity late in the game.
But the ex-Bayern Munich forward waited for his moment to come and proved he can always be relied upon with a vital intervention in stoppage time. He entered the game averaging more league goals and assists per 90 minutes (not including penalties) than at any point in Germany. He's far from finished.
But while coach Xavi will be relieved to have secured another three points to prevent Real Madrid from going further ahead at the top of the table, the game left some concerns.
Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia picked up injuries while too many of the starting XI disappointed, leaving the coach with problems to figure out in the coming weeks.
GettyThe Winners
Robert Lewandowski:
It was a quiet evening overall for the Polish striker because the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati were unable to find him for the first hour of the match. But he stayed alert until the very end and was there to knock in the decisive goal, proving that he really can never be written off and can still be a match-winner for the Camp Nou side.
Raphinha:
He replaced the disappointing Ansu Fati and made a huge difference with a cute cross for Lewandowski to grab the winning goal. The Brazilian made his case for a place in the starting XI and Xavi will surely consider it now.
VAR:
Came to the rescue for Barcelona in the first half as Samuel Lino thought he had given the home team the lead, only for a VAR check to reveal that there had been a handball in the box just before he fired past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
AdvertisementGettyThe Losers
Ousmane Dembele:
The French winger is frustratingly inconsistent and this was one of his weaker performances. Dembele had a lot of the ball but struggled to create anything for Barca and lost possession too many times. He looked a completely different player to the one who engineered their 4-0 win against Athletic Club last week with a goal and three assists.
Marcos Andre:
Valencia thought they had taken the lead when Samuel Lino finished off a chance early in the second half. Sadly for the hosts, though, the goal was disallowed because Marcos Andre slapped the ball with his hand as it sailed into the box. He claimed he had been pushed by Jules Kounde but there was no need to put his hand out the way he did and it robbed his side of a vital goal.
Sergio Busquets:
There were a few disappointing individual performances for Barca in this match but the 34-year-old is one who cannot afford to continue to underwhelm. At what point does Xavi grow fed up with his lacklustre performances? This really should be one of the last starts he gets for a little while as he had so little influence on this match before he was taken off before the hour mark.
Barcelona Ratings: Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (6/10):
Made two saves to deny Valencia but otherwise did not have much to do despite the home side getting forward a few times.
Alejandro Balde (7/10):
A strong performance from the 19-year-old at right-back. His passing was accurate and he tried to get forward to help his side create something.
Jules Kounde (7/10):
A big upset for Barcelona towards the end of the match as the centre-back picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Gerard Pique. He had been playing well throughout the match and will be a big loss if the injury turns out to be serious.
Eric Garcia (6/10):
Injured in the first half and had to be replaced by Marcos Alonso but he did not look great before then. The weak link in the Barca back-line.
Jordi Alba (6/10):
Not the best of performances from the experienced left-back as he was unable to create much for his team.
GettyMidfield
Frenkie de Jong (6/10):
Useful on the ball and tried to create something for his side but he went missing in spells throughout the match.
Sergio Busquets (4/10):
A tame display from the veteran midfielder, he was hardly involved before he was taken off 10 minutes into the second half.
Pedri (7/10):
He had some good movements, was calm on the ball and his passing was strong again but the midfielder slowed Barca's attack down a few too many times.
