Barcelona suffered a second defeat in four days as two Villarreal goals in stoppage time saw Xavi’s men beaten 5-3 in a thrilling contest at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Trailing 2-0 via efforts either side of the break from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, Barca suddenly turned things around with strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and an Eric Bailly own goal in quick succession.
Villarreal then brought things back level through Goncalo Guedes’ 84th-minute finish, before Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales added goals deep into stoppage time to complete a stunning comeback from the visitors.
Making it back-to-back defeats after Wednesday’s 4-2 extra-time Copa del Rey loss at Athletic Bilbao, the result leaves LaLiga champions Barcelona 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Las Palmas earlier on Saturday.
An early attack by Villarreal saw them put the ball in the net in the third minute, but Alex Baena’s effort was disallowed for offside.
Their goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was then called into action to save a Lamine Yamal effort and, in some style, tip over Joao Felix’s strike before the visitors again had a goal chalked off midway through the first half.
This time Moreno was the scorer, with offside given – following a VAR review – against Sorloth, who did not touch the ball but was adjudged to have been interfering with play.
The breakthrough then came for Villarreal in the 41st minute with the front pair combining, Sorloth laying a pass from the left and Moreno firing past Inaki Pena.
After Xavi made three substitutions at the break, replacing Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen and Oriel Romeu with Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi and Pedri, things got even worse for Barca nine minutes into the second half as Villarreal doubled their advantage.
Ex-Barca man Akhomach punished his former employers as he seized upon Cancelo’s failed attempt to clear, going around Pena and slotting in.
Barca swiftly reduced the deficit, Gundogan sweeping the ball into the corner on the hour mark having been teed up Robert Lewandowski’s backheel.
They were then back on level terms eight minutes later, with Gundogan providing an assist as Pedri lashed past Jorgensen.
And the emphatic response continued, with Barca taking the lead another three minutes on from that, with Gundogan again involved as his free-kick was inadvertently headed into his own net by Bailly.
It was some turnaround – and there was still more drama to come, first with Villarreal bouncing back to make things all square again thanks to substitute Guedes’ powerful finish past Pena.
As the game entered stoppage time the ball struck Villarreal’s Santi Comesana in the box and a VAR check for handball ensued, but the decision was no penalty, much to Xavi’s dismay.
A further twist then came in the ninth minute of added time as Sorloth’s finish put the away side back in front, and a remarkable end to a breathtaking game then saw Morales, another substitute, make it 5-3 with 102 minutes on the clock.
PSG boss Luis Enrique shrugs off Barcelona speculation
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is fully focused on what is going on in France, and not paying attention to the situation at Barcelona.
Reports this week suggested Barca may look to replace Xavi with PSG coach Luis Enrique, who led the Blaugrana to success during his stint in charge between 2014 and 2017.
However, the former Spain coach is not interested in any speculation.
Speaking ahead of PSG's trip to Metz on Sunday, he said: "I have already given my opinion on Ligue 1, which is much more competitive than I heard.
"It is clear that there is a high level, with many excellent players. I was pleasantly surprised by the level, including the physical aspect, the coaches and the players.
"I only look at what’s happening in France. I don't know [about Barcelona], I don't comment."
Kylian Mbappe, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, missed PSG's win over Nice in midweek due to a hamstring issue.
Bradley Barcola stepped up in Mbappe's absence, scoring and providing an assist in the 2-1 victory, and the 21-year-old has also been called up for France's Euro 2024 squad.
"Barcola can improve everywhere, like the rest of the players, but above all Bradley is a very young player," Luis Enrique said.
"One thing that I really like is that when you sign a youngster from another team, it's something that seems easy to accept such a challenge but it is very difficult.
"You must understand that the level to be a starter is higher. When a young player like Bradley accepts that and with the performances he has already achieved, I think it's nice to see him at the Euros.
"He deserves it. Next year, the challenge will be even bigger. Our goal for next season will be to look for other [signings], so they are in competition with those already present."
Luis Enrique also knows he will have to adapt to life without Mbappe, who seems destined to join Real Madrid.
"Without a doubt. One of the characteristics of a coach is to adapt," he said.
"We prepared for this group of players but now, with those we can sign and those we already have, there will be tactical changes to come with an undoubtedly more balanced team. There is still room for improvement, in defence and attack."
However, PSG will not limit themselves to signing younger players, but instead base their recruitment on the level of talent they are aiming to bring in.
"We don't sign players based on their age but on their talent," Luis Enrique added. "We sign talent!
"The transfer window will present us with different options and depending on what will be best for the team, we will try to strengthen ourselves. I also like the 30 or 35-year-old players who give a good level for the team. They are all young if you compare them to the coach."
Late Palma strike sinks St Mirren as Celtic celebrate SPL triumph on final day
Luis Palma struck a late winner as champions Celtic twice came from behind to see off St Mirren 3-2 on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.
It was a day of celebrations at Celtic Park for Brendan Rodgers' side, who wrapped up their third successive domestic title in midweek.
However, St Mirren threatened to spoil the party when Mark O'Hara fired them in front after just seven minutes.
Top scorer Matt O'Riley equalised for the hosts in the 21st minute, but they fell behind again just five minutes later when O'Hara doubled his tally from the penalty spot after Stephen Welsh fouled Toyosi Olusanya.
Kyogo Furuhashi levelled for Celtic before half-time, and the Hoops completed the turnaround with Palma scored the winner with four minutes remaining.
Rodgers' side finished eight points clear of second-place Rangers, who were held to a 3-3 draw by Hearts.
Despite falling behind to Lawrence Shankland's strike, goals from Ross McCausland, Todd Cantwell and Fabio Silva seemingly had the visitors on course for a comfortable win at Tynecastle.
However, there was to be a late twist with Dexter Lembikisa pulling a goal back in the 82nd minute, before Kyosuke Tagawa struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for the hosts.
There was also nothing to separate Dundee and Kilmarnock, who drew 1-1 in the other match on the final day.
Luke McCowan cancelled out Gary Mackay-Steven's earlier effort, though the Dundee captain squandered a glorious opportunity to complete the turnaround when he missed a penalty two minutes from time.
Under-pressure Xavi says he still has Barcelona's trust
Barcelona coach Xavi says he still has the club's trust, despite a steady stream of media reports president Joan Laporta may be minded to sack him.
"I understand the noise but that changes nothing," Xavi told reporters on Saturday after a training session ahead of his side's game against Rayo Vallecano.
The manager added that his focus was on winning the three points and "the team has an extraordinary base to compete."
"We'll sit down with the president and if we have to talk about anything, we'll do that," he said about rumours of Laporta's loss of confidence in him.
"But everything is the same as it was three weeks ago. If there are any changes we'll let you know."
Despite being a club great and winning LaLiga last season, Xavi has been under pressure this campaign after Barcelona failed to catch Real Madrid, who have already secured the title.
In January, Xavi said he would resign at the end of this season, but last month he sat down with club officials and agreed to honour the last year of his contract until mid-2025 - with a series of unspecified conditions set by the club.
However, Xavi told reporters on Thursday that the club's situation is difficult, especially in economic terms, and it was tough to compete with the likes of Madrid, in comments that reportedly angered Laporta.
The club has a bloated wage bill, while a $1.6 billion euro ($1.7 billion) renovation project is also underway at the Camp Nou stadium.
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