Barcelona temporarily returned to the top of La Liga

Robert Lewandowski struck the only goal of the game late in stoppage time to seal the three points after what had been a frustrating match for Barça.

"It was a really important win, especially with how it arrived in the last second," Xavi said.

Robert Lewandowski scored a dramatic 94th minute winner as Barcelona temporarily returned to the top of La Liga with a 1-0 win over Valencia.

With the match heading for what seemed like a goalless draw, Barca's Raphinha looped a cross into the box which was acrobatically stabbed home by a stretching Lewandowski for the Poland striker's 13th league goal of the season.

The home side were dealt a major blow with 18 minutes on the clock when their top scorer Edinson Cavani, who had netted the club's four goals in their last three matches, came off with an ankle injury.

Valencia's Samuel Lino thought he had opened the scoring four minutes into the second half and the Mestalla crowd erupted, but the referee chalked it off following a VAR check as Marcos Andre had touched the cross with his hand.

Valencia manager Gennaro Gattuso pointed to his team's mistakes as their undoing, but said they are still on the right track.

"When you play against teams like Barcelona, you can't make any mistakes," Gattuso said. "You have to keep going until the 96th minute. The team was brave. We only had two players to play in midfield. I have to congratulate the team for their attitude and mentality.

"The team is alive. We have to keep working, not talk so much, and work really hard."