Getafe 1-2 Barcelona: Denis and Paulinho spare Valverde's blushes at the Coliseum

Getafe 1-2 Barcelona: Denis and Paulinho spare Valverde's blushes at the Coliseum

Luis Suárez tuov que luchar contra una defensa muy férrea
Luis Suárez tuov que luchar contra una defensa muy férrea | Javi Ferrándiz

Barça were trailing 1-0 at half time but turned things around after the break

Denis Suarez equalised before Paulinho scored a late goal to seal the three points

Paulinho and Denis Suarez scored off the bench as Ernesto Valverde's substitutes helped Barcelona beat Getafe 2-1 on Saturday. 

MATCH FACTS
Liga Santander

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1 ________________ 2

FCB

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Getafe

Guaita; Damián, Arambarri (Portillo, 85'), Cala, Antunes, Djené, Bergara, Fajr, Gaku (Álvaro, 53'), Amath (Mora, 70'), Molina.

FC Barcelona

Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Rakitic (Paulinho, 76'), Iniesta (Denis, 45'), Dembélé (Deulofeu, 28'), Messi y Luis Suárez

Goles

1-0, Gaku (39') 1-1, Denis Suárez (62'); 1-2, Paulinho (84')

Árbitro

Fernández Borbalán (andaluz). TA: Cala (31') / Piqué (10'), Alba (65'), Luis Suárez (72')

Incidencias

Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, 17.000 espectadores

Gaku Shibasaki had given the home side a deserved half time lead but Denis levelled things up before Paulinho's goal earned Barca their fourth straight win in La Liga. 

Until Real Madrid play Real Sociedad on Sunday, Barca boast a seven point lead over Zinedine Zidane's side. 

Valverde made just one change from the side which beat Juventus in midweek -- Sergi Roberto for Nelseon Semedo -- but Barça looked sluggish in the first 45 minutes. 

Gerard Pique was twice caught out and Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic struggled in midfield. 

Few could complain when Gaku smashed home a stunning volley from the edge of the box to give Getafe the lead at the Coliseum. 

Lionel Messi almost equalised before the break, but his brilliant free kick was tipped over. 

Denis came on for Iniesta at the break -- Gerard Deulofeu had already replaced Ousmane Dembele, who was taken off with a hamstring injury in the first half -- and helped change the game. 

The former Villarreal midfielder produced a fine finish from a Sergi Roberto pass and was the influence in midfield Barça were missing. 

And that set the stage for another substitute to seal the three points, with Paulinho hammering home from inside the box after latching on to a pass from Messi. 

Paulinho's signing drew a lot of criticism -- much of it unfair -- and this goal goes some way to proving the doubters wrong, as the Brazilian said he would do at Camp Nou.