The treble dream remains alive for Barcelona as the la Liga leaders now lead the league by seven points, coming from behind to claim a 2-1 win at Real Valladolid at the Estadio Municipal José Zorrilla on Saturday.
Barca boss Hansi Flick made nine changes to the starting line-up that drew 3-3 with Inter Milan in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg clash on Wednesday as he had an eye on Tuesday’s trip to the San Siro for the return leg.
The changes looked to have a bad impact on Barcelona as it was the relegated hosts that got the opener after just six minutes, as the visitors struggled to deal with a corner-kick which eventually fell to Ivan Sanchez to score off a heavily-deflected cross-shot from a tight angle.
Despite falling behind, the visitors still remained dominant. The opening period saw the introduction of Lamine Yamal in the 38th minute, as a replacement for injured debutant Dani Rodriguez.
Flick rang out the changes at half-time with Raphinha coming in for Ansu Fati and the Brazilian soon levelled in the 54th minute as he drilled a shot from the edge of the area to register his 16th La Liga goal of the season.
The comeback was complete six minutes later on the hour mark when Fermin Lopez swept home to put the league leaders in front in what was his fourth league goal of the campaign.
Right-back Hector Fort was denied by the base of the post as Barcelona pushed for a third, while Lamine Yamal saw his effort cleared off the line. But it mattered little as Barcelona took all three points and extended their lead at the summit.
Second-placed Real Madrid have the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to four points when they host Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Elsewhere in La Liga on Saturday, Rayo Vallecano moved to eighth on the table with 44 points thanks to a 1-0 win over Getafe, while Hugo Duro scored twice as Valencia claimed a thrilling 3-2 win at Las Palmas, compounding Las Palmas’ relegation woes.
Atletico Madrid played out a goalless draw at Deportivo Alaves to remain third, while Villarreal eased to a 4-2 win over Osasuna thanks to a brace from former Newcastle United man, Ayoze Perez, Thierno Barry, and former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe.