Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores a goal against Real Sociedad during a La Liga match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, March 7, 2020. /VCG
Lionel Messi kept his nerve from the penalty spot to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday and return his side to the top of the table.
Barca's all-time top scorer calmly chipped the ball into the net in the 81st minute after Sociedad defender Robin Le Normand had been penalized following a VAR review for hitting the ball with his arm as he contested a cross.
Messi missed the target with his only effort before the interval and also looked rusty in the second half until he placed the ball on the spot and coolly dispatched it into the net.
It was Messi's 24th goal of the season and fifth in four games.
The victory took Barca back to the top of the standings on 58 points after 27 games although Real Madrid, on 56, can restore their place at the league summit by beating Real Betis on Sunday.
"We won the game with the narrowest of margins but it keeps our hopes of winning the title alive," said Barca defender Gerard Pique, who also defended the decision to award his side the crucial penalty.
"We have seen several similar situations punished with a penalty recently so as soon as I saw it I thought it was handball," he added.
Mohamed Salah (R) of Liverpool and Jack Stacey of Bournemouth battle for the ball during a Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool, UK, March 7, 2020. /VCG
Liverpool ride early jolt to return to winning ways
Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool resumed normal service with a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Bournemouth on Saturday but they had to recover from an early jolt at Anfield.
Goals in quick succession by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane before halftime calmed the jitters after Callum Wilson had given Bournemouth a surprise ninth-minute lead.
It was far from vintage Liverpool, however, and they struggled to finish off a Bournemouth side who almost grabbed a late equalizer through Wilson.
After Liverpool's 44-match unbeaten league run ended in shocking fashion at Watford last week, victory restored their 25-point lead over Manchester City who have two games in hand.
Three defeats in their last four matches in all competitions had given Liverpool a reality check, even if only serial pessimists among their fans truly believed they might blow their first title for 30 years.
It is still a matter of when, not if, Jurgen Klopp's men seal the deal and Saturday's win, their 22nd in succession at home in the Premier League, restored their 25-point lead.
Sadio Mane scores Liverpool's second goal against Bournemouth during a Premier League match in Liverpool, UK, March 7, 2020. /VCG
Three more wins and they will be crowned champions.
"We have said before, confidence is not something that you get, put in your pocket and keep for the rest of your life. It comes and goes," Klopp said of his team who will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Atletico Madrid next week to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Champions League.
"But we have 82 points now, which is really nice. We have to carry on fighting."
Moreover, the Premier League have abandoned pre-match handshaking due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus.
A statement on the Premier League's website said: "The Premier League fair-play handshake will not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice based on medical advice.
"Coronavirus is spread via droplets from the nose and mouth and can be transmitted on to the hands and passed on via a handshake."