Xavi insists his Barcelona team ‘do not feel like champions yet’ despite moving 12 points clear of Real Madrid after a dramatic El Clasico win.
Real took an early lead at the Nou Camp as Vinicius Jr’s cross was headed into his own net by Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.
Barcelona, who are aiming to win La Liga for the 27th time, equalised on the stroke of half-time through Sergi Roberto.
Real Madrid thought they had snatched a late win when Marco Asensio beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen but the strike was ruled out for offside, before Franck Kessie scored an injury-time winner for Barcelona.
The victory sends Barca 12 points clear at the top of La Liga with 12 games remaining, but Xavi says his side still have work to do to secure their first league title since 2019.
‘The league is not decided but it’s a huge win of course,’ the Barcelona boss said. ‘There are 12 games left, we don’t feel like champions yet.
‘I think we deserved the win and we were better than Real Madrid, we created more chances. It’s a step forward and I’m very happy for the players.
‘We’re having an extraordinary league season. Our players suffer and I’m very proud of how they play, how life is going for them. You have to value them.
‘We were the better team, we dominated and generated better chances. I am very satisfied.’
Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, admitted his Real Madrid players were ‘sad and hurting’ after a damaging El Clasico defeat.
Madrid have slipped 12 points behind Barca despite impressing in the Champions League and knocking out Liverpool on their way to the quarter-finals.
‘We’re sad and hurting, but we’re proud of the performance,’ Ancelotti said. ‘If we keep playing like this over the rest of the season, we’ll win something. I honestly don’t think we deserved to lose today.’
Asked how Real Madrid find themselves so far behind in the title race, Ancelotti added: ‘It’s simple, they’ve been more consistent than us this season.
‘Our January let us down a lot, just after the World Cup. Now, we’re doing well and I think we’ll finish the season well.
‘We are now further behind than we were before the game, but we’ll give our all in every game over the rest of the season.’
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