Sevilla rout champions Barca in shock Liga thrashing

Seville, Spain: Spanish champions Barcelona collapsed in a shock 4-1 demolition at Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga, with Alexis Sanchez scoring against his former side and Robert Lewandowski missing a penalty for the visitors.

The Catalans sit second in the table after their first defeat of the campaign, two points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid after their victory over Villarreal on Saturday, while Sevilla rise provisionally to fourth.

Veteran Chilean winger Sanchez sent Sevilla ahead from the penalty spot early on and Isaac Romero doubled the hosts' lead after having already missed two good chances.

Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for Barcelona before half-time, but Lewandowski fired wide from the spot to spurn his team's best chance of an equaliser.

Jose Carmona and Akor Adams wrapped up Sevilla's emphatic win in the final stages, as Hansi Flick's side fell to an unusually heavy defeat.

"We have to be self-critical... in the first half we didn't know how to defend well or attack well," Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez told Movistar.

"We have to watch it back, there are many things to improve... they beat us in intensity, winning basically all the duels."

Flick defended his team despite their loss, saying he was pleased with their reaction in the second half.

"I know that we have to analyse (everything), especially in the first half... but in the second, for me to see the reaction of the team and them fighting was good to see," Flick told reporters.

"It's one match and we lost it, and we have to keep going on."

Barcelona were still licking their wounds after Paris Saint-Germain beat them late on in the Champions League on Wednesday, and were without injured teenage star Lamine Yamal.

The Catalans were sluggish and although Sevilla have a weaker squad compared to their peak years in the early part of this century, the hosts' energy was enough to pull Flick's disorganised team apart.