Result: Huesca 0-1 FC Barcelona
Date: 03 January 2021
Venue: Estadio El Alcoraz
FC Barcelona continued their climb up the LaLiga table after a securing narrow 1-0 win over Huesca on Sunday night.
Barca manager Ronald Koeman made three changes from the 1-1 draw against Eibar, as Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Ousmane Dembele returned to the side.
The hosts pinned back Huesca deep in their own half early on, and Pedri should have given Barcelona the lead in the 20th minute with a free header inside the box that sailed slightly over the bar from Dembele's cross.
Frenkie de Jong eventually broke the deadlock for Koeman's charges just before the half-hour mark with a first-time finish into the bottom corner from close range after a chip over the defence by Messi.
Messi came very close to doubling the lead for the Catalan giants just before the break with a free-kick on the edge of the box that was destined for the top corner but goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez pulled off a great save to keep Huesca in the game heading to the break.
Huesca were frustrating Barcelona with a low block in the early stages of the second stanza but Dembele had a chance to add a second goal just before the hour-mark after breaking away on the left side of the box, but his effort was cleared away from goal by Javi Galan.
Messi also had a wonderful opportunity to establish a two-goal cushion for for Barca with 22 minutes remaining after going through at the near post but his low strike was saved by Fernandez.
While Barcelona were spurning chances to kill off the game with the second goal, Huesca were unable to trouble Ter Stegen at the other end as the visitors held on to clinch a 1-0 win that took them up to fifth on the log while Huesca were left rooted at the bottom.
