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Attendance: 78,686
Barcelona logo
La Liga | Gameweek 17
Dec 22, 2018 at 5.30pm UK
 
Celta Vigo logo

2-0

Dembele (10'), Messi (45')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Valverde relishes another clean sheet as Barcelona win again

Valverde relishes another clean sheet as Barcelona win again
© Reuters
Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi fired Barca to victory against Celta Vigo.

Ernesto Valverde claimed his mission had been accomplished following Barcelona's 2-0 home win against Celta Vigo.

Barca moved three points clear at the top of the table thanks to first-half goals from Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi.

Valverde's side began the game in second place after Atletico Madrid's win earlier in the day but will finish the year back on the summit.

"I think it's the best way to win," Valverde said in his post-match interview, referring to his team's fourth straight clean sheet in LaLiga.

"You don't concede and you know with the strike force that we have – the statistics are there.

"It was the objective to end the year as leaders with the same advantage we had before this round of matches started, so we're happy."

Celta were more of a threat in the second half. Brais Mendez had Marc-Andre Ter Stegen scrambling across his goal with a driven shot that flew just wide at the start of the second half.

Mendez worked the Barcelona goalkeeper again before the end, but Valverde's side won while not being at their best and head into the winter break with a three-point cushion.

"The game had two separate halves," Valverde added. "They were quite different. I think in the second half they were better than us. We weren't quite at our best and they had a few chances."

Celta coach Miguel Cardoso claimed he was happy with his side's display after the opening quarter.

"Without counting the first 20 minutes, we have shown the team we want to be in the future," Cardoso said.

"At the beginning we searched for a goal very quickly and that cost us to concede.

"But the half-time talk was very positive because we went back to the initial plan and the second half was completely different."

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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