FC Barcelona moved to within two points adrift of leaders Real Madrid in the La Liga standings, after a hard-fought 4-1 victory over Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid had both dropped points after playing out a 1-1 draw on Saturday in the derby, opening a window for Barcelona to narrow the gap and the Catalans took full advantage.
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring after just seven minutes for Barcelona but Sevilla’s Ruben Vargas restored parity just 60 seconds later as the first half remained 1-1 going into the break.
However, Hansi Flick’s side piled on the pressure and received their due reward after Fermin Lopez and skipper Raphinha pounced early in the second half to help Barca retake the lead.
Fermin Lopez soon turned from hero to villain as he was sent off for a high tackle, but that did not stop the visitors who extended their lead when defender Eric Garcia nodded home late on.
With 48 points, Barcelona now find themselves one point and one place behind Atletico Madrid in La Liga, with Real Madrid only two points clear on top of the league.