Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann struck twice to secure a 2-1 win at 10-man Villarreal on Sunday. Villarreal's Nigerian forward Samuel Chukwueze gave the hosts the lead in the 27th minute but Griezmann responded immediately with a coolly taken chip before pouncing on a defensive slip to give Barca the lead in the 35th. Villarreal put the Catalans under renewed pressure in the second half but were reduced to 10 men in the 65th minute when Manu Trigueros was given a straight red card for a crunching tackle on Lionel Messi. The victory took third-placed Barca to 71 points after 32 games, level with second-placed Real Madrid and behind leaders Atletico Madrid. Barca had thrashed Getafe 5-2 in their last fixture without playing too well and they made a frantic start with three early opportunities but fell behind when Villarreal defender Pau Torres delivered a pinpoint pass into the path of Chukwueze, who dribbled around goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to score. The Catalans did not take long to respond thanks to an incisive pass out of defence when Oscar Mingueza picked out Griezmann and the Frenchman let the ball bounce a couple of times before delicately chipping keeper Sergio Asenjo. Griezmann had also scored with a sumptuous chip in a 4-1 win at Villarreal last season and continued his strong recent record at the La Ceramica stadium by intercepting a sloppy backpass by defender Juan Foyth and beating Asenjo again with one touch. Barca were on the back foot early in the first half and Ter Stegen had to use his imagination to save a low shot from Etienne Capoue with his feet after already committing himself. Villarreal lost some momentum when Trigueros was sent off for a wild tackle on Messi, getting the ball first but then smashing into the Argentine's ankle with his outstretched leg. Messi was left in some pain by the tackle but eventually got up and Barca should have extended the lead when Frenkie de Jong bore down on Asenjo unchallenged but somehow missed the target. Villarreal coped well with the sending off and had a couple of chances to get an equaliser but neither top scorer Gerard Moreno nor captain Mario Gaspar could find the target. Barca's win came after Real had squandered a golden chance. A sloppy Real Madrid were held 0-0 at home to Real Betis. We didn't play well enough to get the victory and have taken a step back in the title race," said Real defender Dani Carvajal. "We could have showed more hunger in the final third of the pitch and we've only got one point, which leaves us further away from the leaders. We couldn't get to the right crosses or anticipate where to run in the final few metres; we didn't get the small details right. "We still want to send an optimistic message to the fans and we'll fight for the 15 points left but today was a chance to put the pressure on and we didn't take it."
