PA Media/dpa
London
Barcelona maintained their unbeaten start to the LaLiga season by defeating struggling Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday.
Robert Lewandowski’s seventh league goal of the season set Barca on the way to victory and re-established a four-point gap between themselves and fierce rivals Real Madrid. It was Barcelona’s seventh successive win of the league campaign, while Getafe remain just two points above bottom club Las Palmas.
Barcelona have scored 23 goals and conceded just five in the league so far, and they will be strongly fancied to make it eight wins out of eight when they visit Osasuna on Saturday.
Barcelona showed four changes from the side that swept aside Villarreal 5-1 in their previous game, including a start for Inaki Pena as replacement for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has undergone knee surgery.
Getafe, 14 points below their hosts before kick-off, made a bright start and Pena was quickly called into action, saving Carlos Perez’s header.
The visitors’ early promise evaporated, though, when they fell behind to a close-range strike from Lewandowski after 19 minutes, and Barcelona were off and
running.
Thriving on 70% possession, Barcelona continued to put the pressure on, and Raphinha had a shot that Getafe goalkeeper David Soria did well to keep out.
Raphinha continued to be an attacking threat, while Lewandowski had a goal ruled out for offside and Lamine Yamal also caused plenty of problems, yet Getafe remained just one goal behind at half-time.