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Barca lose ground in title race after conceding five

FC Barcelona's disappointing week continued after suffering a 5-3 defeat to Villarreal in LaLiga action on Saturday evening.

Ferran Torres, who was the star in last week's win over Real Betis, didn't start as Robert Lewandowski featured in the central striking role and assisted by Lamine Yamal and Joao Felix.

Barca didn't have the easiest of openings as a ball in the channels send Alex Baena clear to find the net from an impossible angle, but the offside flag came to the host' rescue.

At the other end, Yamal fancied a belter with a short run-up from a cleverly worked free-kick by Ilkay Gundogan but Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen produced a strong save.

Villarreal had the ball in the net again midway through the spell courtesy of a snap effort from Gerard Moreno off Kiko Femenia's cross, but the offside flag denied them yet again.

Moreno wasn't denied the second time and broke the deadlock five minutes to the break when he made a late run to the box to finish off Alexander Sorloth's pass.

Barca introduced 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi before the commencement of the second period, with Joao Cancelo and Pedri also thrown on.

Cancelo didn't have a settled entry when he mis-kicked a loose ball straight to Ilias Akhomach, who burst well through to round Inaki Pena and tucked in an empty net.

The Blaugrana got one back right on 60 minutes after Lewandowski got a loose ball on the edge of the area and laid off to Gundogan to pick out the bottom-corner.

Barcelona were level eight minutes apart as Gundogan turned provider where he rolled a snapped ball through to Pedri to squeeze a low strike past Jorgensen.

The unthinkable then happened to the Yellow Submarines three minutes later as Eric Bailly redirected Gundogan's snap shot into his own net.

However, the visitors snatched a point with minutes to go after another delivery by Sorloth released Goncalo Guedes this time to work an angle and find the bottom-corner from a tight angle.

As the Catalans appealed for a penalty in added time, the Catalans with the last kick of the game through a smart finish from Sorloth.

There were time for another as Jose Luis Morales finished off Guedes' assist to see out the win and left the Catalans shattered.

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