Barcelona 3-5 Villarreal: Jose Luis Morales and Alexander Sorloth secure stunning Nou Camp victory with stoppage time strikes... after Barcelona had initially come from two-goals down to lead with just SIX minutes left

Ragged Barcelona conceded five goals at home as they lost their first home game of 2024 to leave their season on the brink of complete implosion.

Xavi was left fuming by a late penalty not given for handball by Villarreal midfielder Santi Comesaña but it was his team’s awful defending that gifted the visitors all three points.

The result leaves Barcelona 10 points behind Real Madrid. They are all ready out of the cup and with this type of defensive display look to have no chance of winning the Champions League. He has already said if he does not win a trophy this season then he will have to leave the club – playing this way he will do well to survive the season.

Villarreal were 1-0 up four minutes before the break when Gerard Moreno scored with a shot from a Alexander Sorloth pass. It could easily have been two but Sorloth was judged to be offside when Moreno scored just before the goal.

Xavi was so upset by the first half performance that he made three changes at the break with Joao Cancelo, Pedri and Pau Cubursi coming on. The substitutions did not have the desired effect with Cancelo’s mistake leading to the second Villarreal goal.

Ilias Akhomach got it rounding Iñaki Peña to score. The former Barcelona player apologized to home supporters and Cancelo said sorry to his team-mates for the mistake.

Barcelona did improve however and with Pedri starting to pull strings in midfield they started to play. Ilkay Gundogan scored the first and it was Pedri himself who blasted the second through a crowd of Villarreal players.

Xavi’s team had its tail up now and it was no surprise when they took the lead on 71 minutes when captain marvel Ronaldo Araujo rose at the near post to crash in a header off the arm of Eric Bailly.

The problem for Barcelona was that there was still 20 minutes left – plenty of time for more mistakes and they came sure enough. Sloppy defending allowed too much space to Sorloth who turned and threaded the ball through to Goncalo Guedes and he buried Villarreal’s third goal to draw level.

Barcelona’s late penalty shout came when Comesaña handled but after checking it pitch side Jose Luis Munuera Montero decided that the midfielder’s arm was close to his body. Barça will argue the shot was goalbound and Xavi, who had already been booked, shouted ‘it’s a disgrace into the pitch-side camera’.

There was more misery to come, as Barcelona went for a late winner they left huge holes at the back and first man-of-the-match Sorloth and then substitute Jose Luis Morales grabbed goals four and five on minutes 99 and 102 to complete and extraordinary rollercoaster exhibition of woeful defending.

Xavi will argue that the late penalty call robbed his team of victory but it will be hard to argue his way out of such a heavy loss. Barcelona have not conceded five at home in the league since 1963 against Real Madrid. 

This was Xavi’s first home game of 2024. The club must now decide if it is to be his last or if he takes his broken defence into Wednesday's home game against Osasuna.