Barcelona beat 10-man Betis 5-2 to extend perfect La Liga start

Barcelona maintained their perfect La Liga record with a 5-2 victory at Real Betis, earning a ninth consecutive league win and taking their goal total to 39. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring and helped create further goals as the leaders overcame a Betis side that twice reduced the deficit, according to the Guardian's agency report.

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Yamal put Barcelona ahead after 10 minutes, moving in from the right and sending a left-footed shot into the top corner from outside the penalty area. Betis drew level in the 27th minute when Pablo Fornals crossed after collecting a rebound and Valentín Gómez headed past Joan García. That equaliser kept the home side level until the closing stages of the first half.

Rodri restored Barcelona's advantage in the 41st minute with a header from Fermín López's corner. Betis appeared to have responded again three minutes later when Gio Lo Celso scored with a volley, but the goal was disallowed for a handball by Cucho Hernández in the build-up. Barcelona consequently reached the interval with their lead intact.

Gabriel Jesus also had an effort ruled out, this time for offside early in the second half, before making it 3-1 in the 51st minute. Yamal supplied the pass after advancing down the right. Betis answered a minute later through Ez Abde, whose low finish on a counterattack again brought the hosts within one goal.

The match then turned further against Betis when Facundo Bernal received a straight red card for headbutting Yamal during an altercation. Yamal was booked. Facing 10 men, Barcelona extended their lead in the 63rd minute after goalkeeper Álvaro Valles failed to deal with Yamal's free-kick. Pau Cubarsí headed the loose ball across goal and Eric García finished. Substitute Dani Olmo was Barcelona's other scorer in the 5-2 win.

The result preserved Barcelona's five-point advantage over Atlético Madrid, who won 1-0 at Espanyol through Álex Baena's 89th-minute goal. Atlético's victory was their sixth successive win across all competitions, but Barcelona's own winning sequence ensured their pursuers made no ground on the leaders.