Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal: Arthur and Griezmann on traget

Barcelona earned head coach Ernesto Valverde a much-needed 2-1 LaLiga victory over Villarreal but Lionel Messi was substituted at half-time, cutting short his first start of the season.

After a modest start to the campaign Valverde's position had come under increasing scrutiny, yet goals from Antoine Griezmann and Arthur secured three welcome points on Tuesday.


Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla pulled a goal back before the break, but Barcelona's defence stood firm in the second half.

Messi pulled up with a muscle injury just before the half-hour mark and despite returning to the field following treatment was replaced by Ousmane Dembele at the interval.

The Argentina forward, finally able to make his 400th LaLiga start following a calf problem, had been instrumental in his team's sixth-minute opener at Camp Nou