Barcelona vs Villarreal – Yamal makes up for missed penalty against Girona with first career hat-trick

The league leaders head into the game with just one point above title challengers Real Madrid in the standings.

Needing a victory against the Yellow Submarine, they were under pressure to stretch their lead to four points before Madrid's match against Getafe on Monday.

Yamal proved to be the decisive factor in Barcelona's 4-1 victory against Villarreal, personally scoring all three goals to complete a hat-trick.

Barcelona fielded a strong XI after returning to winning ways last weekend following back-to-back defeats against Girona and Atletico Madrid. 

Villarreal, on the other hand, have been in good form, claiming back-to-back wins and looking to make it three in a row.

The home team started the game brightly and created good chances, but the visitors were looking solid at the back.

However, in the 28th minute, Fermín provided Lamine Yamal with a nice pass inside the box, and he finished with a precise effort into the bottom left corner to give Barcelona the lead.

Yamal then scored his second goal of the game before halftime after his curling effort to the top left corner.

In the second half, Villarreal reduced the deficit with a nice piece of skill inside the box from Pape Gueye before beating the goalkeeper.

However, the in-form Yamal scored the third goal to make it a hat-trick in the 69th minute after being put through one-on-one with the keeper before producing a fine strike that went into the left side of the net.

Robert Lewandowski rounded up the game with the fourth goal after firing home from very close range to seal a 4-1 win.