Barcelona coach Xavi was delighted with victory over Real Betis on Wednesday night.
In their 19th league game of the season, marking the halfway point of the campaign, Barcelona moved on to 50 points thanks to second half goals from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
"They made it difficult for us at the end, it's true.... We had the chance for the third with a header from Ansu and then we were unlucky with the own goal, but we played a great game at a very difficult stadium," said Xavi.
The Barcelona coach said "we took the ball away from Betis and minimised them. I'm very happy because the team had attitude, mobility, 'pausa', we played for a long time in the opposition half.... I was thrilled when the whole team came back in the 83rd minute. If everyone works like that and runs like that...
"The team is going well and that, for me, says a lot. We played against a great team and we played a very brilliant game."
Xavi stressed "we are leaders and we are eight points behind second, who have a game in hand. But we are solid in defence and good in many moments of the game. We are working well, we are on the right track. I see the team competing and enjoying many moments. I can see that they are hungry for success."