Dembele takes Barca to top
Ousmane Dembele took another step on the road to redemption as Barcelona eased past Villarreal on Sunday to move back to the top of La Liga.
Dembele, dropped last month by coach Ernesto Valverde, was making his second consecutive start and repaid the faith by teeing up Gerard Pique's opening goal in a comfortable 2-0 win at the Camp Nou.
Carles Alena, the 20-year-old Spaniard also regarded as a future star, came off the bench to add a late flourish, chipping in his first La Liga goal and Barca's second after a defence-splitting pass from Lionel Messi.
"Alena has earned his step up to the first team," Valverde said.
A narrow victory puts Barca back at the top of the table, two points above Sevilla.
It also extends Barcelona's lead over Atletico Madrid, who were held earlier in the day to a 1-1 draw by Girona.
Villarreal, meanwhile, stay 17th, with the pressure mounting on coach Javier Calleja.
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