Barcelona continued their impressive run of form with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, extending their sequence to 15 wins in their last 16 competitive matches and consolidating their position at the top of LaLiga.

In contrast, Elche’s struggles persisted, with the hosts now managing just two wins from their previous 15 league fixtures.

The visitors wasted little time in asserting their dominance. Lamine Yamal went close inside two minutes when he was denied in a one-on-one situation, before Raphinha attempted an audacious lob over on-loan Barcelona goalkeeper Iñaki Peña from inside his own half.

Barcelona’s pressure soon paid off. In the sixth minute, Dani Olmo slipped a simple but incisive pass through to Yamal, who kept his composure to open the scoring.

Elche found it difficult to cope with the relentless tempo, as Ferran Torres and Olmo both threatened in quick succession. By the 20-minute mark, the hosts were fortunate not to be further behind.

Their first real attempt arrived midway through the half when Álvaro Rodríguez fired wide, but Barcelona responded immediately. Olmo struck the crossbar following a dazzling run from Raphinha, before Rodríguez broke the offside trap moments later to slot home a surprise equaliser.

Undeterred, the league leaders quickly regained control. Ferran Torres twice struck the woodwork in the same passage of play, before finally restoring Barcelona’s advantage with a powerful finish into the roof of the net from Frenkie de Jong’s assist.

Barcelona continued to dominate proceedings, with Fermín López squandering two similar chances in quick succession and Ferran seeing another effort cleared off the line to cap a one-sided first half.

Elche emerged with renewed purpose after the interval. Rodríguez narrowly missed the target early on, while Rodrigo Mendoza had a goal disallowed for offside as the hosts attempted to mount a response.

However, Barcelona soon reasserted their authority, monopolising possession and creating a series of half-chances. At the other end, Adam El Mokhtari failed to capitalise on a promising opening.

Marcus Rashford later broke through on goal but dragged his effort wide, before Yamal’s tireless work was rewarded in the 70th minute. The teenager powered home Barcelona’s third to register the 10th goal of his senior career and put the contest beyond doubt.

The victory extended Barcelona’s unbeaten head-to-head record against Elche to 25 matches (21 wins, four draws) and ensured they remain top of the table after this round of fixtures.

Elche, meanwhile, stay 12th and suffered only their second home league defeat in 16 matches, reflecting both their resilience at home and the scale of Barcelona’s superiority on the night.