Barcelona bounced back from their Champions League loss to the Reds with a win over Getafe that the manager described as "essential"
Ernesto Valverde admitted Barcelona's defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League left a bad taste in Lionel Messi's mouth, but he felt the Blaugrana's 2-0 win over Getafe on Sunday helped his players "get rid of the ghosts in our heads".

Arturo Vidal scored in the first half and Messi had a hand in Barcelona's second goal as Mauro Arambarri put through his own net in the 89th minute to extend the champions' lead at the top of La Liga with one game left to play this season.

Valverde admitted that bouncing back from a 4-0 defeat at Anfield, which resulted in a 4-3 aggregate semi-final defeat to Liverpool, would take time but backed his players to return to form.

Editors' Picks
Arsenal goal machine Aubameyang proves he is world class as he shares Golden Boot
The darkest season in 30 years? Man Utd misery will get even worse before it gets better
One game away from immortality: Liverpool heroes fall one point short after epic season
Now it’s official: Pep’s relentless Man City the greatest Premier League team in history
"For us, a victory was essential to get rid of the ghosts in our heads," Valverde told reporters after the win over Getafe.


"Everyone will bounce back, although at the beginning it's hard. We have the Copa del Rey final in mind.

"Messi is making an effort to overcome the bad taste in his mouth. We all had high hopes to be in the Champions League final and we have to move forward."


Article continues below
Valverde substituted Philippe Coutinho 20 minutes from time during one of his better recent performances for the club, and it was later revealed the midfielder would likely be out for up to 10 days with a hamstring injury.

Barcelona, having already sealed the La Liga title, will face off with Eibar on Saturday in the final game of the league campaign.

After that, the focus will turn towards the Copa del Rey finale, as Barca will take on Valencia with a chance to secure the domestic double on May 25.