Barcelona Beat Sevilla In Six-Goal Thriller

By Max Wise, Nigel Philip

Barcelona are back to the top of the La Liga table after beating Sevilla 4-2 at the Camp Nou on an evening where Lionel Messi received the Player of the Month award for September, assisted a goal, scored and left the game with an injury.

Phillipe Coutinho fed on Lionel Messi’s through pass to score Barcelona’s opener just two minutes into the game.

The livewire registered his name on the score sheet in the 10th minute, seven minutes before he was forced out of the game with his right hand in a bandage following a hand injury.

Ernesto Valverde's men have 18 points, followed by Alaves, who have 17 points, but four places above rivals, Real Madrid, as Sevilla have also dropped to the 3rd spot with 16 points.

A great through ball by Lionel Messi set up Philippe Coutinho inside the box in the 2nd minute, and the Brazilian made no mistake and banged the ball into the top right corner.

Guilherme Arana latched onto a short pass just on the edge of the box in the 6th minute but shot into the right post as Sevilla came into the game strongly.

Lionel Messi controlled a fine pass into the box, in the 10th minute, and took a shot to the bottom left corner, but Ever Banega smashed it to safety, two minutes before the Argentine weaved his way past opponents to unleash a magnificent shot from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner.

Lionel Messi was forced out of the game in the 17th minute after picking a hand injury and was replaced by Ousmane Dembele.

Nelson Semedo shot wide in the 42nd minute after breaking into the Sevilla penalty with a solo effort that earned him applause from the stands, Luis Suarez rattled the upright in the 53rd minute before he left the post before flying a shot wide of the left post two minutes after.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen brilliantly saved Andre Silva’s close-range header in the 61st minutes, seconds before a well-positioned Franco Vazquez fired a shot low towards the left of the goal, but saw Marc-Andre ter Stegen pull a miraculous save to it.

Suarez burst into the Sevilla penalty box in the 63rd and was impeded by Tomas Vacklik as he attempted to go round the goalkeeper. Referee Juan Martinez Munuera awarded the hosts a penalty which Suarez converted with a strike into the bottom left corner.

Pablo Sarabia collected a pass in the 80th minute and decided to try his luck from distance, and the shot deflected on the ground before going past the helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen received a standing ovation across the stands when he pulled great saves in quick succession to stop Pablo Sarabia and Wissam Ben Yedder from scoring in the 87th minute, a minute before the French striker fed on to a rebound but saw the Barcelona goalkeeper pull another brilliant save to thwart his goal attempt.

Ivan Rakitic latched onto a rebound just outside the penalty box in the 88th minute and drove a brilliant non-drop volley into the bottom corner, just outside the box, two minutes before Luis Muriel grabbed another consolation goal for the visitors with a sublime effort when he received a delightful pass inside the box and smashed a precise shot into the right post.