Barcelona celebrate Sergio Busquets goal. | Alejandro García

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Barcelona 2 - Real Mallorca 1

Going into the match, Barcelona were third in LaLiga Santander and in the fight for a Champions League spot. At the bottom, Mallorca were sixteenth with 32 points from 33 matches. Below them were Cadiz with 32 from 34, but only because of having played one more game than Mallorca, as the Cadiz goal difference was -17 against Mallorca's -25. In the three relegation spots were Granada (31 from 34), Alavés (28 from 34) and Levante (26 from 34).

Sergio Rico saved a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang header on five minutes, but a better chance fell to Mallorca's Fer Niño, who hit wide from close range on nineteen minutes. A Ronald Araújo header on 24 minutes appeared to have given Barcelona the lead, but the goal was ruled out for offside. A minute later and Memphis Depay fired in from the edge of the box, latching onto Jordi Alba's through ball. Depay hit the woodwork shortly before the break; Barcelona were fully in control.

Five minutes into the second half and Depay set up Gavi, whose shot was saved by Rico. Nine minutes in and Sergio Busquets made it two, following up Ferran Torres's strike that rebounded off Mallorca centre-back Martin Valjent. Aubameyang should have made it three on 62 minutes but hit wide.

VAR ruled out a 74th minute goal by Torres; Depay, who had put Torres in, was offside. Mallorca, against the run of play, pulled it back to 2-1 on 79 minutes. From Salva Sevilla's free kick, Antonio Raíllo buried a volley past Marc-André ter Stegen.

Better from Mallorca in the second half but not enough.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Alves (Lenglet 89), Piqué (García 28), Araújo, Alba; F. de Jong, Busquets, Gavi; Torres (Dembélé 75), Aubameyang (Fati 75), Depay

Mallorca: Rico; Russo, Valjent, Raíllo; Maffeo, Sánchez (Sevilla 70), Battaglia (Lee 70), Oliván; D. Rodríguez (Grenier 60); Á. Rodríguez (Hoppe 89), Niño (Kubo 60)