Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona moved top of La Liga with a comfortable win over 10-man Elche.
The Poland international scored either side of the break to take his tally to 11 goals in eight appearances since joining Barca in the summer.
In between, Memphis Depay opened his account with a powerful effort into the roof of the net.
Visiting captain Gonzalo Verdu was sent off in the 14th minute for pulling Lewandowski down when he was through.
From there it proved a routine victory for Xavi’s side, with 25 efforts on goal to Elche’s one.
Alejandro Balde teed up Lewandowski for his first of the game, Depay added a second and Pedri had a third ruled out after VAR intervened before the Pole scored his eighth goal in six matches in the Spanish top flight.
There were big chances for Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Ronald Araujo, but the fourth goal just wouldn’t go in as we reached the final 10 minutes. There were no other goals scored, and the final whistle came to confirm the Barça win.
This was as easy as it gets for a Barça team that showed their superiority and played really dominant football after the early red card. Championship teams win these games without any trouble, and it’s good to see the Blaugrana winning a few matches in that fashion already this season.
The Catalans could finish the weekend in first place with a little help from Atlético Madrid on Sunday, and Xavi’s men rebounded quickly from the Bayern Munich loss to go into the international break enjoying some good vibes
Barca now sit a point above Real Madrid at the top of the table, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side travelling to play city rivals Atletico on Sunday evening (20:00 BST).
