Valencia 1-4 Barcelona: Aubameyang brace seals big win for Xavi's side

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as Barcelona beat Valencia 4-1 to move back into the top four of LaLiga. 

Both Aubameyang's goals came in the first half, with Frenkie de Jong also on target as Barça went into the break with a three-goal lead. 

Carlos Soler pulled one back for Valencia at Mestalla but just as they began to believe in the comeback Pedri hammered home Barça's fourth. 

Xavi Hernandez's side jump back into the Champions League places with the win, leapfrogging Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, who had already won this weekend. 

Aubameyang opened the scoring on Sunday with a great finish from just inside the area after a long pass from Jordi Alba. 

From there, Barça clicked through the gears and De Jong added the second from close range after good play from Alba and Ousmane Dembele, who was making his first start since Jan. 12. 

The third soon followed and cam via another good team move, this time Dembele and Gavi combining to set up Aubameyang. 

Valencia thought they had one back before half time but Soler's strike was ruled out because the ball had gone out of play in the build-up. 

Barca lost Eric Garcia at the break, replaced by Oscar Mingueza, and it was Mingueza who Soler lost to head in early in the second half. 

Soler then struck wide as Valencia threatened a comeback, with Xavi reacting by bringing Pedri on to assert some control. 

He got more than control, though, with the young midfielder smashing home Barça's fourth minutes after coming on to seal the three points.