Elche 1-3 Barcelona recap - Marcus Rashford strike seals La Liga leaders' victory after Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres score in first half

Marcus Rashford netted his tenth goal of the season to seal Barcelona's 3-1 victory at Elche.

The visitors took an early lead through Lamine Yamal rounding the opposition goalkeeper Inaki Pena, before Elche equalised through Alvaro Rodriguez who ran onto a ball from his own half to level the scoreline.

The Azulgrana were incredibly wasteful before half-time with Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres hitting the bar and the latter spurning a number of other chances before the impressive Frenkie De Jong teed him up to re-take the lead before the interval.

Rashford, coming on for the injured Raphinia during the interval, could have had a hat-trick after missing a one-on-one and seeing another attempt blocked at point-blank range, but he did get on the scoresheet when rifling home after Yamal's impressive control of a cross-field ball, run and cross set him up.

The result puts Barca four points clear before rivals Real Madrid face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

The win puts them four points clear at the top of the table.

Pedrosa put a fantastic centre in for him but he could not connect on the six-yard box. The wide player was given offside, correctly, for his initial run.

Benaisa met an outswinging set piece with a firm header but the stopper diving to his left caught the ball by his left-hand post.

No surprise really given the pace the game has been played at for most of the match.

Arauja and Casado come on for Kounde and Lopez.

He was found behind the left-hand side of the Barcelona defence but, though well directed, he scuffed his shot a bit and Joan Garcia saved comfortably.

But on his right foot he spooned high over the bar.

De Jong plays a good ball to the far post where Rashford's effort is blocked.

He is cautioned for a foul on De Jong.

Petrot and Cepeda come on for Affengruber and Rodriguez.

Yamal keeps a cross-field ball on the pitch with his head and then races into the penalty area and squares into the six-yard box. Although Affengruber gets a deflection to the cross, Rashford has time to turn back and rifle a ball into the roof of the net.

Benaisa pulls the ball back from the by-line for Rodriguez but the well-timed challenge from the defender stopped him getting a shot away.

He looked certain to score, leaving Affengruber for dead. As we've seen many times before, he opened up his body to curl the ball in the far corner but hits the effort well wide.

A fine run from Neto cutting in from the left and he tees up fellow substitute Benaisa, who shoots high over the bar under little pressure from seven yards out.

The youngster latches onto De Jong's run and cross and sets up the Polish veteran, but his effort is blocked and then the follow-up from Yamal is easily stopped.

Bernal and Lewandowski come on for Olmo and Torres.

But Chust is there to clear in front of Torres.