BARCELONA, Spain: Xavi Hernández had plenty to like and much more to lament about Barcelona’s wild 3-3 draw at Celta Vigo on Saturday, when his soon-to-be team squandered a three-goal halftime lead.
Playing its final match under caretaker coach Sergi Barjuan before Xavi takes over as its new full-time manager, Barcelona roared out to a 3-0 lead after playing one of its best halves of the season. But injuries to Ansu Fati and Nico González, who were having inspired performances, and the resurgence of its defensive doubts helped Iago Aspas led Celta back with his second-half brace.
Aspas capped the comeback with a second goal on one of the final kicks of the match when he scored from long range while Barcelona was hunkered down in its box begging for the final whistle.
“We forgot we had to play the second half,” said a dejected Frenkie de Jong, who provided Barcelona’s only spark in the second half with a shot that hit the crossbar with the score at 3-2.
“We were too static, we need to show more character. This game was important to move up a bit in the table. It is a very hard blow.”
Barcelona remained in ninth place in the Spanish league and with its horizon of success narrowing to simply securing a top-four finish to ensure its spot in the Champions League.
The draw came hours after Barcelona announced that Xavi had agreed to sign through 2024. That will free Barjuan to return to coaching its reserve team after three games in charge following the firing of Ronald Koeman.
Xavi will be presented on Monday and then have a two-week international break to settle in before the former Barcelona midfield star debuts on Nov. 20 against Espanyol in a derby. He arrived to Barcelona earlier on Saturday after ending his stint at Qatari club Al-Sadd, first as a player and then as a budding coach.
“This was my dream and now the dream comes true,” Xavi said. “It is very important for me. Of course it is a big challenge, but I am ready, we are ready — all the technical staff — to start immediately.”
He and his staff will have their work cut out for them.
Fati had to be replaced after netting Barcelona’s opener. Midfielder Nico, who was also having a superb performance, and defender Eric García both went down in the second half. They joined an injured list that already included Pedri González, Gerard Pique, Ousmane Dembelé, Sergiño Dest, Sergio Agüero and Martin Braithwaite.
Fati’s left-thigh injury ruled him out of Spain’s decisive World Cup qualifiers next week against Greece and Sweden that it needs to win to qualify directly for next year’s tournament in Qatar. He was replaced by Espanyol striker Raúl de Tomás, who hours earlier scored in a 2-0 win over Granada.
Sergio Busquets, Xavi’s old teammate, doubled the advantage in the 18th with a rare goal for the veteran. The holding midfielder struck a fine curling effort from outside the area to put the ball just inside the post.
And Barcelona looked ready to roll to a big win after Memphis Depay sliced a header home from a cross by Jordi Alba after a key pass by Nico in the 34th.
But then the injuries came, and Celta took the initiative when Aspas pulled one back in the 52nd. The striker finished off a ball that Marc-Andre ter Stegen failed to clear from his area after he poorly blocked a shot by Javier Galán.
Barcelona was then on the defensive when Nolito Agudo’s 74th-minute header cut the deficit to one.
“This Celta never gives up,” Aspas said after he ignited the crowd at Balaídos Stadium with his clutch goal.
Later, Real Madrid can overtake leader Real Sociedad when it hosts Rayo Vallecano.
Barça squanders lead in 3-3 draw before Xavi takes over
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Barça squanders lead in 3-3 draw before Xavi takes over
- Barcelona roared out to a 3-0 lead after playing one of its best halves of the season
- “We forgot we had to play the second half,” said a dejected Frenkie de Jong
Arsenal thrash Villa 4-1 while Chelsea and Man Utd both held
- Arsenal end Aston Villa’s 11-game winning streak
- Wolves earn third point of season against Man United
LONDON: Arsenal closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, smashing third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to surge five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who collected their third point of the season, while Bournemouth grabbed a point at stuttering Chelsea, forcing a 2-2 draw after a frantic first-half display.
Man United are sixth, level on 30 points with fifth-placed Chelsea.
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal slammed the door shut on charging Villa, ending their club-record winning run of 11 games.
Goals by Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Zubimendi early in the second half gave Arsenal control of a game that had looked fraught with danger.
Gabriel bundled in the opener from a corner in the 48th minute before Martin Odegaard slid a pass through for Zubimendi to score four minutes later. Arsenal secured the points when Leandro Trossard fired home from the edge of the area before Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to add the fourth.
Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation goal for Villa in stoppage time.
“I think it was amazing,” Jesus told Sky Sports. “It’s always hard to play against them... The mentality of the team is really, really growing and each game is growing even more and I think we are winning today because of the mentality.”
Arsenal top the standings with 45 points, while second-placed Manchester City can close the gap when they play at Sunderland on Thursday.
Villa are six points adrift of Arsenal.
It took six minutes at Stamford Bridge for Bournemouth to shock Chelsea when David Brooks grabbed the opener. Cole Palmer equalized from the spot in the 15th minute and Fernandez put Chelsea ahead with a bullet shot eight minutes later.
Justin Kluivert brought Bournemouth back level in the 27th, to grab a point, adding to the London side’s unenviable record of one win in seven league games. Chelsea sit fifth, while Bournemouth are 10 spots below them.
Man Utd struggle
Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee made the most of a rare start by giving the depleted hosts the lead with a deflected shot from the edge of the box in the 27th minute.
But Wolves managed to level just before the break thanks to a header from Ladislav Krejci.
Patrick Dorgu briefly celebrated what he thought was a 90th-minute winner, but it was chalked off for offside.
“We struggled in all the game,” United boss Ruben Amorim said. “We had a lack of creation... the fluidity offensively wasn’t there.
“We didn’t play well. When you don’t play well with the ball, you struggle without it.”
Wolves have three points from 19 games, 15 points from the safety zone.
Newcastle United’s Joelinton scored after 65 seconds and Yoane Wissa doubled their lead five minutes later in a 3-1 thrashing of 19th-placed Burnley, who are winless in their last 10 games.
Josh Laurent pulled one back in the 23rd minute, but Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle’s rare away win with a goal in stoppage time.
Everton climbed to eighth in the standings with a 2-0 win over their former manager Sean Dyche and Nottingham Forest thanks to goals from James Garner and Thierno Barry.
West Ham United drew 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion in a game that featured three penalties in the first half.
Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta, from the penalty spot, scored before the break for West Ham, while Brighton’s Danny Welbeck struck from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute but fired another off the crossbar.
Joel Veltman scored for Brighton in the 61st minute to secure the draw.
There are four more games on New Year’s Day, including fourth-placed Liverpool hosting Leeds United at Anfield.
