Barcelona have now won all nine of their LaLiga matches and all 11 competitive fixtures this season. Betis also came into the game in excellent form and were still unbeaten at home in the league this campaign.
Both coaches rotate ahead of Champions League tests
Manuel Pellegrini made eight changes from the 3-2 win over Porto. Isco, Antony, Marc Bartra and Natan were among those left on the bench. Betis lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Cucho Hernández leading the line and Abde Ezzalzouli, Pablo Fornals and Lo Celso operating behind him.
Hansi Flick made four changes from the 4-1 victory at Galatasaray. Jules Koundé, Xavi Espart, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus came into the side, with Rodri and Pedri in midfield, Fermín López further forward and Lamine Yamal starting on the right.
Barcelona looked to control the game through Rodri and Pedri and stretch Betis with long spells of possession. Fermín frequently occupied the space between midfield and defence, while Yamal stayed wide on the right to create one-on-one situations. Betis defended more compactly and tried to attack quickly through Lo Celso, Abde and Cucho after regaining possession.
Yamal scores a stunner as Betis grow into the game
Yamal produced the first highlight after ten minutes. The 19-year-old received the ball on the right edge of the area, created space with a subtle movement and curled a left-footed effort into the far top corner.
Barcelona initially controlled proceedings and pushed Betis deep with their width. Yamal in particular repeatedly forced the hosts to send a second defender across, which opened up space centrally.
After falling behind, however, Betis adjusted well to Barcelona’s build-up. The hosts pressed Rodri and Pedri earlier and attacked the spaces behind Barça’s advanced full-backs after turnovers. Barcelona’s counterpress was not always sharp enough, allowing Betis to break before the visitors could reset.
The equaliser in the 27th minute was therefore deserved. Betis kept the ball alive after a corner, Fornals delivered another cross from the right and Valentín Gómez was left free to head home. Joan García then denied Héctor Bellerín what could have been a 2-1 lead.
Instead, Barcelona struck in the 41st minute. Fermín delivered a corner and Rodri escaped his marker before heading in for 2-1.
Lo Celso denied after VAR review
Shortly before half-time, Betis appeared to have equalised again. Lo Celso met the ball on the turn outside the penalty area and sent a spectacular volley into the net.
Following a VAR intervention, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea reviewed the build-up at the monitor. Cucho Hernández had handled the ball earlier in the move, although the incident came well before Lo Celso’s finish. It was still judged to be part of the same attacking phase and the goal was ruled out. The decision triggered furious protests from Betis and the home crowd, with Pellegrini booked for his reaction.
The half-time numbers underlined how open the match had been despite Barcelona’s 73 per cent possession. Barça led the shot count 5-2, but expected goals actually favoured Betis 0.52 to 0.35. Barcelona had more of the ball, yet the hosts repeatedly found ways to threaten the space behind their high defensive line.
Jesus makes it 3-1 before tempers boil over
Barcelona started the second half with greater purpose. Flick’s side moved the ball more quickly down the right and looked for Yamal earlier, before Betis could settle into their defensive shape.
After an initial Gabriel Jesus goal was disallowed for offside, Barcelona scored again almost immediately. Fermín found Yamal on the right, the winger drove a low ball across goal and Jesus finished from close range for 3-1.
Betis responded straight away and once again exposed Barcelona’s main vulnerability. Lo Celso released Abde behind the high back line and the Moroccan ran through on Joan García before reducing the deficit to 3-2. It was a textbook example of Pellegrini’s approach: one quick forward pass and an immediate attack into the space behind Barcelona’s defence.
The game then became heated. Fermín had gone down in a challenge during the build-up and appealed for a foul. After the goal, Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés tried to pull him quickly back to his feet. Yamal intervened and shoved Facundo Bernal. The Betis midfielder responded by twice making contact with Yamal using his head, sending the Barcelona winger to the ground.
Yamal was booked for the initial shove, while Bernal was shown a straight red card for violent conduct. From that moment, a finely balanced game swung firmly in Barcelona’s favour.
Barcelona take control with the extra man
Reduced to ten, Betis could no longer sustain their original approach. Until then, the hosts had defended aggressively and committed several players forward when counter-attacking. After the dismissal, Pellegrini’s side had to drop deeper and focus on protecting the space in front of their own area.
Barcelona suddenly had much more time on the ball. Rodri and Pedri could circulate possession from side to side under little pressure, while Yamal and Adeyemi kept the pitch wide. Betis rarely managed to attack Barcelona’s high back line with the same direct passes that had caused problems earlier.
The fourth goal arrived in the 62nd minute. Yamal’s free-kick deflected off the wall and looped towards the far post. Cubarsí got there ahead of Vallés and headed the ball back across goal, allowing Eric García to finish from close range.
The contest settled down after that. Barcelona no longer needed to take unnecessary risks and were able to move the ball patiently while waiting for spaces to appear. With ten men, Betis simply did not have enough players to defend compactly and still launch dangerous counters.
Raphinha replaced Yamal in the 70th minute and made his comeback just in time for the Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain.
Dani Olmo completed the scoring in the 81st minute. Cubarsí found the substitute on the edge of the area and Olmo controlled before guiding a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner for 5-2.
Barcelona maintain perfect start
The final numbers reflected Barcelona’s second-half superiority: 69 per cent possession, an 18-6 advantage in shots and 31-11 touches inside the opposition box. Expected goals finished 3.04 to 0.98. The scoreline was slightly more emphatic than the quality of the chances suggested, but Barcelona were clear and deserved winners after Bernal’s dismissal.
Yamal was Barça’s most influential attacker with a goal, an assist, four shots and six successful dribbles. Rodri completed 126 of his 129 passes and all ten of his long balls, illustrating just how completely Barcelona controlled possession after the red card. Cubarsí completed 105 of 108 passes and provided two assists.
Betis defended compactly until the dismissal and repeatedly found solutions against Barcelona’s high defensive line. Lo Celso and Abde in particular ensured that Barça never had complete control despite their huge possession advantage. Once Betis went down to ten, however, that balance disappeared.
Barcelona now travel to Paris with 11 wins from 11 competitive matches. Nine straight victories at the start of the LaLiga season have also equalled Real Madrid’s record from 1968/69. Barça can set a new outright mark with a tenth consecutive win in next weekend’s Clásico against Madrid.
