La Liga: Barcelona 2-1 Real Sociedad: Hits and Flops

Barcelona took another step towards retaining their crown as Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba were on target to secure all three points for the reigning champions.

Like on many occasions in the recent weeks, the Blaugrana started off without any flair and were on course to head into the break goalless until Lenglet cropped up with a pin-point header to break the deadlock just before the whistle.

La Real then took advantage of the hosts' sloppiness as Juanmi finished a beautiful move from the visitors to restore parity. However, that lasted only for a fleeting moment as Alba then arrowed a low-drive belter for the winner.

With another victory in the bag, Barcelona now need only seven points from the remaining five games to seal a 26th league title.

Here are the hits and flops from the match:

---

Hit: Lionel Messi

This guy knows no stopping...

No goals for the Argentine wizard this time, but his significance to Barcelona's fortunes was as much as it has always been.

A relentless passer of the ball and a thorn in Sociedad's face with his mazy dribbles, Messi orchestrated his team's play for most of the match. His link-up play with the likes of Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele often opened up goal-scoring avenues. On many occasions, Messi also dropped deep in the midfield to win the ball back and keep the juices flowing.

In a season full of crests and troughs, the 31-year old ace has constantly dragged his side through the dirt. And when Barcelona were looking for another winner, showed up again as he brilliantly picked out Alba down the left and the latter did the rest. Now that's 13 assists for him for the season!

And he surely isn't done yet.

Flop: Luis Suarez

Suarez left a lot to be desired again

Lionel Messi wouldn't have to carry the burden on his shoulders as much as he has this season, had it not been for Luis Suarez and his struggles. The Uruguayan has blown hot and cold and you never know which version of him would show today.

In the match against Real Sociedad, his poorer version did, struggling to make an impact in the final third. He just had a single effort on target and was dispossessed a total of seven times! Notwithstanding, he also had a game low of 65.6% passing accuracy as Suarez was not only toothless in the attack, but also sloppy in possession.

Messi tried to bring him in the match by drifting near him before laying off or sending a throughball, and those were the only times he was actually visible. And the two dribbles he completed in the game were his best stats.

In just two weeks time, Barcelona are going to wrap up La Liga anyways. But Suarez needs to step up his game if they are eyeing a treble.

Hit: Real Sociedad's goal

From it's creation to execution, Real Sociedad's goal was pure quality

You don't normally come to Camp Nou with the expectation of creating plenty of opportunities. And you certainly don't expect to score a wonderful goal. But Real Sociedad just did, and it almost fetched them a historic point.

The visitors were proving to be a real deal for Barcelona with an obdurate defense and crowding out the midfield. Even after Lenglet put the hosts ahead just before the break, La Real were all agog. It appeared to be only a matter of time before they score. And that moment arrived just after the hour mark when they equalised with a well worked move finished equally beautifully by Juanmi.

A corner is played short and it goes all the way back to Merino, who finds Juanmi at the heart of Barcelona's defense. He plays a nice throughball and the Sociedad No.7 then skedaddles past four defenders to place a shot into the back of the net just ahead of Ter Stegan.

It was a goal straight out of the top drawer but also perfectly encapsulated the challenge that Imanol Alguacil's men threw up last night.

Flop: Mikel Oyarzabal

The Sociedad winger was in no man's land

The 22-year old youngster knows a thing or two about ruffling Barcelona's feathers, having scored a winner in 2016 from an early header showing great control and technique in his execution. And whilst it might take him some effort to replicate that feat, Oyarzabal struggled big time to impose himself on this occasion.

He was often a passenger in this Sociedad vehicle, well out of position and absolutely clueless about the proceedings. He was dispossessed twice and made only 32 touches on the ball. Don't be mislead by his 83% passing accuracy - he laid only 24 in first place, but most of the time chose the wrong options.

Oyarzabal was often shrouded by the attacking flair of his counterparts, and for all his efforts, could muster only two shots - both terribly off-target. He did, however, pose a challenge aerially - winning three duels, but his poor offensive contributions kept Sociedad from fully liberating themselves.