Barcelona delivered a commanding performance at the Olympic Stadium as they eased past Getafe with a 3-0 win to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Ferran Torres struck twice in the first half before Dani Olmo added a third after the interval.
From the outset, Barcelona dictated the tempo. Dani Olmo’s quick thinking opened the door for the opener after 15 minutes, flicking a clever backheel into the path of Torres, who calmly stroked the ball into the corner.
Torres doubled his tally just before the 35th minute, latching onto a neat pass from Raphinha. The Brazilian winger, who had been largely quiet in the opening stages, drew defenders towards him before slipping a pass into space.
Torres needed no second invitation, slotting past David Soria with composure to make it 2-0.
Getafe had offered little in the first half, restricted to scraps and failing to register a single shot on target. Their usually stubborn defensive shape was consistently prised open by Barca’s slick movement, while every attempt to counter was quickly smothered by Pedri and Frenkie de Jong snapping up loose balls. The half ended with Barcelona firmly in control, and the visitors looking beaten before the break.
José Bordalas responded with a flurry of substitutions at half-time, introducing fresh legs in an attempt to change the dynamic.
Getafe started the second period with more purpose, Javier Munoz flashing a volley narrowly wide within two minutes of the restart – their closest effort of the evening. Yet just as they seemed to be finding a foothold, Barcelona struck again.
Marcus Rashford, introduced for Raphinha at half-time, made an immediate impact. The English forward, dropped to the bench for disciplinary reasons after arriving late to training, made amends with a dynamic display.
His burst in behind the defence on 62 minutes left Getafe exposed, and he squared unselfishly for Olmo to sweep home Barca’s third goal. At 3-0, the contest was effectively over.
From that point onwards, Barcelona toyed with their opponents. They enjoyed long spells of possession, camping Getafe in their own penalty area and recycling the ball with ease. Pedri and Andreas Christensen quietly marshalled proceedings, while substitutes Fermin Lopez and Roony Bardghji added energy from the bench.
Rashford continued to trouble the visitors with his pace, almost adding a late fourth when his shot deflected goalwards and forced Soria into a sharp save.
Getafe, who had won three of their opening four matches this season, looked bereft of ideas against a Barcelona side operating at full tilt.
Their frustration was clear as a string of yellow cards were handed out to Liso, Djene, Abqar and others.
By the final whistle, the statistics underlined the gulf in class: Barca’s expected goals (xG) of 1.91 dwarfed Getafe’s meagre 0.27, a reflection of how little threat the Madrid-based side carried.
