Barcelona win 5-2 at 10-man Betis to equal Real Madrid's record nine-win start

Barcelona won 5-2 at Real Betis on Saturday to make it nine wins from nine in La Liga, equalling the record start Real Madrid set in 1968-69. Lamine Yamal scored one and set up another at La Cartuja, where Betis had an equaliser ruled out by VAR and played more than half an hour with ten men.

Three goals before the break

Yamal opened the scoring early on, beating Betis defender Fran García and curling a left-footed shot into the far top corner past goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. Betis levelled in the 27th minute: Pablo Fornals crossed from the second phase of a corner and defender Valentín Gómez headed in. Midfielder Rodri restored Barcelona's lead in the 41st minute, heading in a Fermín López corner for his first goal for the club.

Two minutes later, Giovani Lo Celso volleyed into the top corner for what looked like 2-2. Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was called to the monitor by VAR and ruled the goal out for a handball by Betis striker Cucho Hernández at the start of the move, in midfield. Betis argued that Barcelona defender Gerard Martín had pushed Cucho Hernández, so the ball struck his arm.

Bernal's red card

Early in the second half, Gabriel Jesus turned in Yamal's cut-back to make it 3-1, a goal Betis said should not have stood because of dangerous play by Fermín in the build-up. Abde Ezzalzouli pulled one back moments later, running onto a long pass from Lo Celso and beating Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García low.

The game turned seconds later. During the celebrations, Betis midfielder Facundo Bernal clashed with Yamal and, according to El Debate, grabbed him by the neck. The referee sent Bernal off in the 54th minute and booked Yamal.

Barcelona made the extra man count. Eric García, on at half-time for Gerard Martín, made it 4-2 in the 62nd minute, and substitute Dani Olmo struck the fifth from the edge of the box in the 81st. Both goals were set up by Pau Cubarsí and both followed errors by Valles, according to the EFE agency. Barcelona finished with 18 shots to Betis' six in front of 66,924 fans, and Betis lost at their La Cartuja home for the first time, according to Estadio Deportivo.

"A lamentable performance"

Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini, booked before half-time, blamed the referee. "Honestly, I thought it was a lamentable performance, absolutely without footballing criteria, because I think it had an impact on decisive plays that completely decided the match," he said, as quoted by COPE. On the disallowed goal: "It's a handball by Cucho, but because the Barcelona player pushes him back." On the red card, he pointed at Yamal: "He pushes him, provokes him, gave him a good shove and the other one responded."

Betis defender Héctor Bellerín spoke of "a couple of unfair decisions" and said Bernal had apologised: "I've spoken to Facundo and he apologises to the team."

Flick: "the best player in the world"

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, who took Yamal off after 70 minutes, said: "Lamine's first goal is incredible, he is the best player in the world right now." Asked about the record, he said: "It's nice. It's a nice memory, but what we want is to win titles and achieve great things."

What it changes

Barcelona have 27 points and 39 goals from nine games, five points clear of Atlético Madrid, who won 1-0 at Espanyol earlier on Saturday with Álex Baena's 89th-minute goal. Betis stay third on 19 points, one ahead of Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and host Sevilla on Sunday.

Barcelona have won all 11 of their games this season across all competitions. They visit Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then host Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October, where a 10th straight league win would break the record. Flick has fitness doubts over Eric García, Jules Koundé and Gerard Martín: "We don't know what will happen with Eric. Koundé had some problems, and Gerard too."