FC Barcelona edged CA Osasuna 2-1 in Pamplona to open up a commanding 14-point lead at the top of La Liga, moving to the brink of a 29th league title.
Despite controlling possession for long spells at Estadio El Sadar, Hansi Flick’s side initially struggled to break down a resilient Osasuna defence.
The hosts, unbeaten in their last 10 home league matches, looked the more dangerous early on.
Ante Budimir nearly stunned the visitors when he surged into the box and poked an effort past Joan Garcia, only to see the ball strike the post.
Moments later, the forward tried again from distance, but Garcia reacted superbly to tip the powerful shot behind.
With time running out and Barcelona lacking cutting edge, Flick turned to his bench just after the hour mark, introducing Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford to support Robert Lewandowski in attack. The changes proved decisive late on.
Rashford delivered a pinpoint cross in the 80th minute, which Lewandowski met with a firm header to finally break the deadlock.
Five minutes later, Ferran Torres doubled the lead, racing onto a perfectly weighted pass from Fermin Lopez before finishing clinically past Sergio Herrera.
Osasuna ensured a tense finale, maintaining their impressive scoring record at home. Abel Bretones provided an inviting delivery from the left, and Raul Garcia rose highest to head beyond Garcia.
While Barcelona were far from their fluent best, they did enough to secure a crucial victory.
Their title celebrations could even be confirmed imminently if RCD Espanyol manage to do them a favour against Real Madrid CF.
