Sevilla go top of La Liga with 1-0 win at Alavés

Teenage sensation Fati leads Barca thrashing of Valencia

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept 15, (Agencies): A masterfully taken free kick by Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordán earned a 1-0 victory at Alavés and lifted his team to the top of the standings in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Jordán struck a dipping free kick over the defensive wall that goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco could only watch land in his net in the 38th minute.

Jordán, who joined Sevilla from Eibar before the season, also scored in a 1-0 win at Granada in round two.

Sevilla didn’t threaten Alavés again, but both sides’ defenses and the heavy rain made the rest of the match a pedestrian slugfest.

The match ended with a small scuffle that earned bookings for a pair of players on each team.

Coach Julen Lopetegui, who was fired by both Spain’s national team and Real Madrid during a turbulent 2018, has made an impressive start in Seville. Sevilla is undefeated in four rounds after also winning at Espanyol and drawing with Celta Vigo.

Next weekend Lopetegui’s Sevilla will host Madrid.

The win at Alavés pushed Sevilla into first place. Atlético Madrid is one point behind, followed by Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao two points back. Defending champions Barcelona and Real Sociedad are three points off the pace.

Espanyol scored its first goals of the season and got its first win after fighting back for a 2-1 victory at Eibar.

Facundo Ferreyra and Esteban Granero scored in the final 15 minutes to pull off the comeback.

Barcelona’s 16-year-old forward Ansu Fati continued his explosive start to life in the first team by scoring and providing an assist as the La Liga champions thrashed Valencia 5-2 on Saturday.

Goals from Fati, Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Pique and two from Luis Suarez gave Barca their second win of the season.

Kevin Gameiro and Maxi Gomez scored for Valencia, who suffered their biggest defeat in over three years in coach Albert Celades’ first game.

The victory took Barca on to seven points after four games, while Valencia have four.

Fati, who became Barca’s youngest ever goalscorer two weeks ago by netting at Osasuna, struck his first goal at the Camp Nou to give Barca the lead with less than two minutes on the clock by smashing a pass from De Jong into the net.

The goal had the injured Lionel Messi grinning in admiration as he watched on from the stands but the teenager had fans on their feet again five minutes later as he dashed into the area and teed up De Jong to score his first goal for the club.

Valencia were playing their first game since owner Peter Lim took the surprise decision to sack Marcelino, the coach who had secured Champions League football twice and also led the team to victory over Barca in last year’s Copa del Rey final.

They pulled a goal back later in the half through Kevin Gameiro but Barca came flying back at them after the interval.

Pique bundled the ball into the net in the 51st minute after Antoine Griezmann had hit the post while Luis Suarez netted twice after coming off the bench.

Making his return after getting injured on the first day of the season, Suarez flummoxed Valencia goalkeeper and former team mate Jasper Cillessen with two thumping finishes, one which went in off the near post, the other settling in the near corner.