IN SPORT.ES
Barcelona beat Valencia 2-1 on Saturday to move provisionally 14 points clear at the top of La Liga and close in on the Spanish title.
The victory also meant they have gone 39 matches unbeaten, a record in the division, surpassing Real Sociedad's 38, set in 1980.
Barca were below their best and needed Marc-Andre ter Stegen to be at his best in goal, with the German denying third-place Valencia at crucial moments.
Camp Nou was half empty as fans stayed away, still sulking perhaps after Champions League elimination on Tuesday by Roma, something which has soured the mood around the club, but Barcelona went ahead after 15 minutes.
Phillipe Coutinho, who was not available in the Champions League and might have made a difference in Rome, created the goal by playing a perfect through-ball for Suarez to finish.
Valencia rallied and created chances, but Ter Stegen was more than equal to them. His best save came of a situation of his own making, with Ter Stegen giving the ball away but then tipping Rodrigo Moreno's fierce strike onto the bar from close range.
Umtiti headed home Coutinho's corner at the start of the second half to secure Barcelona's position and give them a safety net, which was tested when Ousmane Dembele committed a silly late tackle in the area and Dani Parejo converted the penalty.
Barcelona could have scored more too, with Messi going close twice and Neto making a great save from Andres Iniesta's volley.