Girona make Barcelona battle but Pedri strike enough in the end for the LaLiga leaders
Recently-crowned Supercopa winners Barcelona had already made a great start to 2023, winning each of their seven games played since the turn of the year, to stretch their lead at the LaLiga summit.
In turn, they exuded confidence in the opening stages in what looked like a mismatched Catalan derby on paper, though Girona showed glimpses of why they have been tough to beat here recently.
Surprisingly, they fearlessly fired men forward with nothing to lose, though Barcelona soon grasped their trademark control on the contest.
With Robert Lewandowski still suspended, Ansu Fati was trusted down the Barcelona middle. However, he failed to propel a frontline which lost Ousmane Dembele to injury before the half-hour mark, in a first-half of few clear-cut openings and more than a sprinkle of heat, although they looked solid at the back with Ronald Araujo at his imposing best.
It was little surprise that Girona proved stubborn hosts, considering they saw a club-best unbeaten run in La Liga ended only last week.
But superior class across the park eventually told, and Pedri notched in his 100th appearance in Barcelona colours in the 61st minute, gleefully tucking away a rebound from inside the area to send his side on their way.
Having taken the lead, Xavi’s side then showcased their superiority to effectively sentence Girona to death by passing, as an ever-more incensed Girona manager Michel saw red for his passionate protestations.
Other than a skewed Ivan Martin effort late on, Xavi’s well-drilled men barely gave their hosts a sniff in a second-half display that bore the hallmark of champions-elect.
The omens are good for Barca, with their current tally of 47 points being their highest after 18 games since the title-winning campaign of 2017/18.