Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick got Barcelona back to winning ways in LaLiga with a 3-0 victory away at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.
Barcelona started brightly but were denied a fifth-minute lead as Raphinha's dinked finish over Antonio Sivera was ruled out for offside.
However, just two minutes later, Lewandowski headed home from a Raphinha free-kick, and the pair linked up again in the 22nd minute, with the forward finishing off a lightning-quick counter-attack by the Brazilian.
Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, netting his 10th league goal of the campaign, doing well to guide it into the net as he took a tumble.
Toni Martinez had a first-half goal disallowed by VAR for the hosts, and also struck the post just after the break before Joan Jordan's late header was chalked off following a review.
Barcelona, who move three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, could have had more, but Alaves were indebted to Sivera, who stood strong, making six saves to keep the scoreline down.
Data Debrief: Lewandowski's flying start continues
Lewandowski has settled back into life under Hansi Flick since the German's move to Barcelona, and his numbers do all the talking.
He sits top of the LaLiga goalscoring charts already, and he scored the fourth-earliest hat-trick by a Barca player in LaLiga, netting his three goals within 32 minutes.
It is the sixth time that Barcelona have collected 24+ points from their opening nine games of the campaign, and they secured the title at the end of three of the previous five.
Williams shares blame as Athletic miss three penalties against Girona
Inaki Williams acknowledged Athletic Bilbao missing three penalties against Girona cannot happen in LaLiga, while taking the blame for his part in the disappointment.
Alex Berenguer was denied by Paulo Gazzaniga in the first half from 12 yards, with Williams then denied in the second period by the Girona goalkeeper on Sunday.
Gazzaniga was adjudged to have stepped off his line too early for the Williams spot-kick save, though the former Tottenham man then saved from Ander Herrera's retaken penalty.
In a remarkable turn of fate, Cristhian Stuani converted a 99th-minute penalty for the visiting Girona to snatch a 2-1 victory, much to the dismay of Athletic winger Williams.
"There are no excuses, we missed three penalties. I plead absolutely guilty, we can't miss three penalties. This can't happen in LaLiga," a frustrated Williams said.
With Williams' miss not officially counting due to the retake, Athletic became the first side in LaLiga to miss two penalties in one match since Real Madrid in 2022.
It was also the first time this century that the Basque club have suffered such a feat in the competition, solely down to the heroic exploits of Gazzaniga.
"I'm happy for the three points the team got. I don't remember another match like this," Gazzaniga said.
"Again, I would like to highlight the work of the team because without them it wouldn't have been possible.
"We were studying the penalties with the goalkeeping coach and this time it worked out well."
Girona's victory ended a four-match winless run in LaLiga heading into the October international break.
Flick keen to avoid Barcelona and Bayern comparisons
Hansi Flick's Barcelona have made a flying start to the season, but he was reluctant to draw comparisons with his all-conquering Bayern Munich team.
Barca moved three points clear at the top of LaLiga after Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick helped them to a 3-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.
In the league, Barcelona have already scored 28 goals in nine games, more than any other team in the division, and the most of any team across the top five European leagues.
Flick took interim charge at Bayern midway through the 2019-20 season, guiding them to a treble by winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League.
However, the manager believes it is too early to compare the two sides.
"No, no, I don't like that. This team is different," Flick told reporters.
"The situation is different. At the moment, things look good. I'm happy to be the coach of this team, but I know that things can change really quickly in football.
"We value what we have, it's fantastic to see things work... What this team is doing is amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room is great.
"It's not just about winning and losing. We analyse matches, that's why we have a very large group of analysts. We want to show the players what we can improve on for the next match."
Lewandowski's hat-trick was the fourth-earliest ever scored by a Barcelona player in LaLiga (32 minutes), and took his tally up to 10 goals in the competition.
Flick was full of praise for his striker, who was part of that treble-winning team at Bayern.
"Lewandowski is the same player I knew in Munich, and he's the best in the box. What he does is fantastic, he's always ready to score," Flick added.
"I think we should praise everyone in the team, they're all helping him. He's in good form, and I'm happy to see that. I'm happy for the three points and happy with Lewy's performance.
"In the first half, we didn't make any mistakes, we didn't allow Alaves to play their game. That was the key to winning."
The only blemish at the Mendizorrotza Stadium was the injury suffered by forward Ferran Torres, who limped off five minutes into the game.
"We still don't know what injury Ferran has, but it looks muscular. We'll see with the medical tests tomorrow," Flick said.
"Ferran's injury is worrying. We don't have many options in attack, but we'll see what happens.
"We hope to recover the injured players in the international break. We will see in the next two weeks, and we hope they return in good shape."
Havertz out of Germany squad with knee injury
Kai Havertz has pulled out of Germany's squad for their upcoming Nations League matches due to a knee injury.
The Arsenal forward played a full 90 minutes in their comeback win over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, netting their first goal.
He became the first player to score in seven consecutive home appearances for the Gunners in all competitions since Robin van Persie between December 2011 and March 2012 (also a run of seven).
Havertz has made a stellar start to the campaign, netting six goals in all competitions so far, also getting one assist.
However, he will not be available to face Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands due to his injury, and it is not yet clear if it will keep him sidelined for Arsenal after the international break.
"Kai Havertz will miss the upcoming international matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands due to knee problems," Germany announced on X.
"National team coach Julian Nagelsmann has nominated Jonathan Burkardt in Havertz's place. Get well soon Kai."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
