Lionel Messi seals brilliant Barcelona comeback against fiesty Villarreal in thriller

In times of need, Barcelona can always turn to Lionel Messi. One swing of his right boot put Barcelona in front, after a shapeless but manic, thrilling period of play. 

Villarreal had gone in front twice, but once Messi put Barcelona back on top, the Yellow Submarine had been sunk, despite Luis Suarez’s torpedoes missing the target with alarming frequency. 

Marcelino’s side had not been defeated in 18 games in all competitions, an incredible run, but Luis Enrique’s Barcelona are still running on the fuel generated by the controversies which struck at the start of the year, and have shown a lot of fight when the chips are down. 

The first chances of this game fell to Suarez, which wasn’t ideal for Barcelona given the lack of form in front of goal he’s shown in recent weeks. He flung himself acrobatically at one chance, hooking the ball wide, and then dragged another shot across the face of goal dispiritingly. 

However Suarez came much closer after 12 minutes, arcing a shot towards the top left corner but seeing Sergio Asenjo tip it away. He failed to hit the target when perfectly placed, though, spinning a strike from near the penalty spot inches past the Spanish stopper’s post. 

Lionel Messi was causing trouble from the right, with two succulent looped balls playing in Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta down the left channel of the box, but neither opportunity could be exploited. 

Suarez continued to be wasteful in front of goal and it came back to bite Barcelona, hard. Villarreal broke away and right-back Mario’s strike was deflected past Claudio Bravo by Denis Cheryshev.

The winger, on loan from Real Madrid, was wearing Los Blancos shinpads, and cruelly for Barcelona it was that part of his leg which he stretched out to cleverly divert the ball into the far corner.

But seconds before the break, Barcelona were level. Fine work by Messi down the right saw him feed Rafinha, whose shot was tipped away by Asenjo. Neymar, however, was on hand to slam the ball into the empty net.

The Brazilian has been in outstanding form this season and this was further proof as to why the club want to double his salary and pin him down to a new deal. 

Another player who might be looking for a new deal is Luciano Vietto, if he can keep up his stunning form. The Argentine was on hand to finish after a fine run by former Barcelona player Giovani Dos Santos. 

The Mexican had picked up the ball after a horrendous error from Gerard Pique, who had otherwise had a good game, and seemed to be continuing his own streak of strong performances. 

It was the cue for the game to explode. Suarez forced the ball across and when Messi’s header was blocked, Rafinha capitalised to fire home. The youngster enjoyed an excellent night after being afforded a rare start, and he has plenty to offer Barcelona this season. 

And then Barcelona were ahead, thanks to more good work from Suarez and a sumptuous finish by Messi. The Argentine netted his 12th right-footed goal of the season, curling the ball round Asenjo and into the top right corner.

Villarreal had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for offside, and Barcelona broke away. A brilliant ball by Claudio Bravo gave Messi some room, and he found Neymar. The Brazilian skipped into the box, lofted it over Asenjo and was then rudely brought down by the goalkeeper.

Referee Inaki Vicandi Garrido didn’t point to the spot and Barcelona were left frustrated, with whistles echoing around the Camp Nou. But they held on, through a nervy finale, and can now look forward to a week off before facing Athletic Club next weekend. 

And although he didn’t show it, as his side saw out the game, inside Luis Enrique would have been smiling as the crowd chanted his name. With eight wins in eight since their anaemic display in Anoeta, things are looking up in Catalunya.