La Liga: Barca manages slim win at Leganes to extend title lead

Barcelona took all three points against Leganes with a 1-0 win to move seven points clear in the league.

Hansi Flick’s side were far from their best as they could only claim victory by a lone goal. An own goal from Jorge Sainz gave the Catalans the slim win.

Coming from the back of their 4-0 quarter final first leg win over Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona offered very little at Leganes.

However, the goal was enough to seal the win, also taking revenge for their first meeting loss, earlier in December. They lost also by the same scoreline.

In the return fixture, the Blaugrana created nothing before the break, as they earned no single shot on target in the first interval.

The visitors eventually broke the deadlock via a slice of luck in the 48th minute. Raphinha fired a superb low cross in front of the Leganes goal and the unfortunate Jorge Sainz diverted it into his own net.

Barca looked to have gained momentum, as they kept pilling pressure on the home side. However, they were wasteful in front of goal, with Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski both missing huge chances to double their lead.

Flick’s side almost paid the cost for their misses as Leganes’ Dani Raba later found the net. But the goal was chalked off by VAR as offside.

With Real Madrid not in action until tomorrow, the victory speaks volume for Barcelona, as they sit seven points clear in the title race.

Barca have also extended their unbeaten run in 2025, making it 24 games unbeaten in a calendar year. It is now the fifth longest unbeaten run in club history, matching Frank Rijkaard’s record in 2005/06.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also enjoying an excellent streak. The Pole has now played 22 games for Barça and has yet to taste defeat. He is just one short of Johan Cruyff, whose 23 is the third best starting run ever.

Barcelona will now be focusing on their midweek UEFA Champions League trip to Borussia Dortmund.

The Catalans meanwhile have little work to do, following their heavy win at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.