Barcelona 3 - Real Sociedad 0

Barcelona: Reina; Gabri, Frank De Boer, Abelardo, Sergi (Gerard 80'); Guardiola (Xavi 72'), Cocu; Luis Enrique, Rivaldo, Overmars; Kluivert (Dani 88'). 4-2-3-1.
Real Sociedad: Alberto; Loren, Corino, Julio César; Fuentes, Luiz Alberto, López Rekarte; Tayfun (Xavi Alonso 70'), Khokhlov (Llorente 65'), Aranzábal; Jankauskas (De Paula 46'). 3-3-3-1.

Team changes: Barcelona: Abelardo, Overmars for Reiziger, Zenden / Real: Loren, Corino, Fuentes, Aranzábal for Pikabea, Xavi Alonso, Idiakez, De Pedro.

Goals:
1-0. 38. Kluivert. Took pass from Luis Enrique and beat two men before scoring.
2-0. 61. Kluivert. Rounded Loren and chipped over Alberto after Overmars pass.
3-0. 77. Xavi. Shot from edge of area which took deflection off defender's leg .

Barcelona recorded their second comfortable win of the season against Real Sociedad to move two points closer to the leaders. Playing the last game of the weekend, they already knew that Deportivo and Real Madrid had cancelled each other out, and that third placed Valencia had won their match, and anything less than a victory would leave them too far afield to have any realistic chance of winning the league this year. Serra Ferrer had almost a full squad to choose from, with Abelardo returning from suspension and Overmars from injury, and he controversially left Alfonso out of the squad completely after the two had exchanged words in the press during the week. Dutruel also dropped out with a shoulder injury, and B team keeper Víctor was on the bench. In the other dressing room, John Toshack was missing the suspended Pikabea and the injured De Pedro, and aware that his team had lost 0-6 in the first half of the season under Javier Clemente with all the goals coming in the first half, he picked a team which included seven natural defenders.

For the first few minutes Real's tactics worked, and they kept Barça at bay packing their own half with players. Cocu went close twice and Luis Enrique beat two men but couldn't get past Corino in the first half an hour. Then a move through the centre between Guardiola and Luis Enrique found Kluivert in the area, and after losing two defenders he placed the ball past Alberto. Toshack changed his lone striker at half time, bringing on De Paula for Jankauskas, and five minutes in to the half Reina was forced to make a spectacular save from an Aranzábal free kick which was heading for the top corner of the net. But then Kluivert appeared again to take a pass from Overmars, turn past Loren and chip the ball over Alberto. López Rekarte chased after it and got a foot to it just as it was going over the line, but he could only divert it in to his own net. With one eye on next Saturday's vital game at Real Madrid Serra Ferrer rested Guardiola, bringing on Xavi who added a third only five minutes after coming on after Rivaldo's shot was blocked by the defence.

The victory keeps Barcelona in fourth place two points behind Valencia, and with the two teams below them losing they open up a five point cushion with the chasing pack. Next Saturday's clash in the Bernabeu will be their last chance to catch the train, and if they don't win they can start to think about objectives other than the league championship. Arsenal's Arsene Wenger is the latest in a long string of names to be tipped as the new manager for next season, although the only thing fairly sure at the moment is that Serra Ferrer won't be at the club, at least as manager, next September. Real Sociedad stay in eighteenth place, and although the teams above them Numancia and Oviedo lost as well, both Racing Santander and Osasuna closed to within a point with victories. Toshack has only one objective this year, stay in the first division, and the only consolation he can get from this match is that his team have already played Barcelona and also Deportivo early on, and others still have to run the gauntlet. It has now been eleven years since Real won at the Nou Camp, and on this form it will be a few years yet before they do so.