Barcelona 7-1 Valencia: Flick's side run riot to end winless streak
Barcelona ran riot at the Camp Nou on Sunday, putting seven past lowly Valencia to close the gap to LaLiga's top two.
Barcelona returned to winning ways in LaLiga in stunning fashion with an emphatic 7-1 victory over relegation-threatened Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
The result moved Hansi Flick's side within three points of second-placed Atletico Madrid, with leaders Real Madrid seven further ahead after their win over Real Valladolid.
Frenkie de Jong kickstarted the rout with just three minutes on the clock after collecting Lamine Yamal's cross into the box, taking a touch before stabbing the ball home.
Barcelona doubled their advantage five minutes later when Ferran Torres guided Alejandro Balde's delivery beyond the grasp of Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Raphinha continued his scoring streak to put the contest beyond Valencia soon after, latching on to Fermin Lopez's through ball before rounding Mamardashvili to finish.
Flick's side entered the break five goals in front with a double from Lopez, with his second strike bouncing kindly into his path after Raphinha's effort rattled the woodwork.
Hugo Duro grabbed a consolation for Valencia just before the hour, but the hosts assumed control with substitute Robert Lewandowski powering home his side's sixth goal.
The scoring concluded 15 minutes from time when the unfortunate Cesar Tarrega turned Raphinha's cross into his own net, further compounding Valencia's misery.
Data Debrief: Seven heaven for rampant Blaugrana
Barcelona put their recent struggles behind them with their dramatic win over Benfica in the Champions League in midweek, but they firmly put those worries in their rearview mirror with a scintillating attacking display.
Barcelona scored four goals before the 24th minute of a LaLiga match for the first time since October 2008 against Almeria, also at home.
In only three seasons have Barcelona scored more goals after the first 32 games played than in 2024-25 (101). In fact, only Helenio Herrera (31 games) in the entire history of Barcelona has reached 100 goals scored faster than Flick (32 games).
While there were a string of impressive displays at the Camp Nou, Lopez shone for the hosts with two goals and two assists against Valencia.
After 14 goals and five assists in 67 games for Barcelona, the Spaniard scored and assisted for the first time in a single game for the Blaugrana in all competitions, becoming only the second player to be involved in three goals before half-time.