SERGIO Busquets was full of praise for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang following the Gabon striker’s man-of-the-match performance in Barcelona’s 4-1 LaLiga win at Valencia on Sunday.
Aubameyang open his Barcelona goals account with a hat-trick as they extended their unbeaten run in LaLiga to nine matches.
The former Arsenal captain, who joined Barcelona from the Gunners for free on 2 February, struck the opener on his first LaLiga start before Frenkie de Jong tapped in the second goal.
Aubameyang converted from close range for his second goal, before he netted a fortunate third. Pedri appeared to have scored what was Barcelona’s fourth goal but his powerful 25-yard effort glanced off Aubameyang’s back on its way in.
The goal was initially given to 19-year-old Pedri but was later awarded to the flamboyant Gabonese.
After the game, an obviously impressed Busquets expressed how he felt about Aubameyang’s performance.
“Since Aubameyang arrived, he has been working hard,” midfieder Busquets said during his post-match interview. “We know he hasn’t played many minutes this season. He is a fabulous player and having him in the squad, having come here for free, is really positive for us.”
Barca have not been beaten in LaLiga since 4 December under Xavi’s guidance and have risen to fourth place in the table, just four points behind third-placed Real Betis who have played one game more.
“It’s been an important victory today,” Busquets added. “In the first half we were very efficient. That allowed us to dominate the game. It meant we were calm enough to play in our style. I think it was a good performance.
“In other games we have got ahead but have not been able to dominate and rivals have got back into the game. Today we did the job.”
