Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the La Liga table by six points thanks to a 3-1 win over Sporting Gijon at El Molinon on Wednesday evening.
Lionel Messi scored his 300th league goal before cancelling out Carlos Castro's first-half equaliser with a second on the night.
Luis Suarez had a second-half penalty saved, but he redeemed himself by notching Barcelona's third goal and ensuring that all three points went back to the Camp Nou.
Discover how the game unfolded in Sports Mole's text coverage below.
4.30pmHello everyone! You may think that tonight only has Champions League action to offer, but you are mistaken! Barcelona will be gracing the pitch as they play their La Liga game in hand against Sporting Gijon. This could prove to be a pivotal match in the title race as they can go six points above second-placed Atletico Madrid, who currently sit one point above Real Madrid.
4.33pmSince the conclusion of the winter break, Barcelona have been in fine form having won 12 and recorded two draws out of their last 14 games. It's hard to think of Barca and not automatically draw your attention to the dynamic trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar - now known as 'MSN'. More on them later...
4.35pmAs for Sporting, they are in the lower regions of the top flight and sit just two points above relegation, but they are in decent league form. They have won two and drawn two of their last four fixtures, but they face a very tough task against the reigning La Liga champions today.
4.38pmRight, before we delve any further, let's have a look at the lineups that will grace the pitch tonight...
4.39pmBARCELONA XI: Bravo; Vidal, Pique, Mathieu, Adriano; Busquets, Turan, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Neymar
4.39pmSPORTING GIJON XI: Cuellar; Lora, Lichnovsky, J. Mere, Canella; Mascarell, Cases; Perez, Halilovic, Alex Menendez; Castro
4.42pmLet's start with the visitors shall we? As we can see, Luis Enrique has made a handful of changes for this midweek game. Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Andres Iniesta all come out of the first XI. To replace them, Enrique has called upon Aleix Vidal, Jeremy Mathieu, Adriano, Arda Turan and Ivan Rakitic.
4.45pmEnrique has opted against making alterations to the front line, and who can blame him?! Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all start as they look to continue terrorising defences. Gerard Pique keeps his place in defence, while Sergio Busquets will sit in midfield.
4.47pmWith regards to Sporting's first XI, Alen Halilovic has been given the green light to feature against his parent club, while 20-year-old Carlos Castro will lead the line.
4.50pmIvan Cuellar will keep between the sticks, with Alberto Lora, Igor Lichnovsky, Jorge Mere and Roberto Canella lining the back four. Omar Mascarell and Nacho Cases will hold the midfield, with Pablo Perez, Alex Menendez and Halilovic sitting behind Castro.
4.52pmIf you've been living under a rock this week, you may have missed Barcelona's audacious penalty against Celta Vigo at the weekend. The game ended in a 6-1 triumph for the Catalan giants, but it was the manner of one of Luis Suarez's goals that got everyone talking. The Uruguayan nabbed a hat-trick on the night and one of this goals was pretty much handed to him...
4.54pmLionel Messi stepped up to take a penalty in the second half, but instead of trying to score a brace, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner passed the ball to Suarez, who slotted home. Take a look at the goal below:
4.58pmThe manner of the goal has caused a bit of controversy! Some have argued that it was unsporting to their opponents for scoring a penalty that you are more likely to see in a pre-season friendly as opposed to a league match! Some say that Barcelona have every right to do it as they have the quality to back it up. What do you think?
5.00pmThis is what Gary Lineker had to say on the matter...
Odd that so many think Messi's penalty to Suarez is disrespectful. Disrespectful to who? It was fun. Football should be fun & entertaining.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 15, 2016
5.02pmIt seems as though there was a bit of confusion among the players as well! Neymar revealed after the game that the penalty was actually meant for him and not Suarez.
The Brazilian told TV3: "We tested [the penalty] in training. The penalty was for me, but Luis was closer and he finished it off. We're very happy about it. Our friendship is the most important thing, no matter who scores."
5.05pmAs mentioned earlier, Neymar, Messi and Suarez have been a force this season. They have already scored a combined 76 goals in all competitions in the 2015-16 campaign and they do not look like slowing down any time soon. Messi, who won his record fifth Ballon d'Or title in January, was recently halted by an injury, but has still managed to find the back of the net 21 times. Neymar has scored 22 goals and Suarez leads the way with 33 to his name this season.
© Getty Images
5.09pmWhen Suarez arrived at Barcelona from Liverpool in the summer of 2014, there were concerns over whether the controversial Uruguayan would be content not being the 'main man' in the squad, like he was at Liverpool and Ajax. However, in a recent interview with Jamie Carragher for the Daily Mail, Suarez said:
"I don't feel so much responsibility as I did in other teams. It felt sometimes at Ajax and Liverpool that it had to be me. Now, every time I go out on to the pitch, I enjoy myself and laugh. I have gone through too many difficult times in my career and I don't want to keep thinking about them.
"That's why, right now, I just want to enjoy every minute. I never imagined I would be playing with these players in the best team in the world. At Liverpool I enjoyed it a lot. I laughed a lot. We laughed a lot, didn't we? But, at the same time, I felt a lot of responsibility. Perhaps that affected me the wrong way sometimes."
5.11pmt could be a special night for Lionel Messi as he will claim his 300th league goal if he finds the back of the net this morning. It has been a phenomenal career for the Argentine so far. In fact, the 299 goals that he has claimed have been scored in just 334 appearances!
5.12pmMaybe his 300th league goal will be scored like this... (or not)
Can you score a goal like this one from #Messi? Post your videos with the hashtag #SkillsFCB https://t.co/LurNbY0TF8 🔝 👍 👏 🎥
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 16, 2016
5.14pmNow, let's get back to the game at hand. El Molinon holds a place in Luis Enrique's heart as began his football playing career at Sporting Gijon and spent two years in the club's senior team after coming through the youth academy, which he joined in 1981. Ahead of today's game, Enrique told the club's official website:
"Whenever I go back to El Molinon, it's special. They're a very hard-working team that uses their defence to manage their attacks and they're one of the most intense teams in the league.
"I see them capable of avoiding relegation even though they haven't reinforced the team very much. They're very competitive.
"This game gives us a chance to put some more distance between us and our direct rivals. A victory would be a big step towards our objective, but it wouldn't be definitive."
© Getty Images
5.16pmBarcelona are overwhelming favourites to get a result and extend their lead at the top of the table, but what to Sporting bring to the table? Well, it has been a mixed bag for manager Abelardo Fernandez. He managed to take the team to the top flight from the Segunda Division last summer, but they have struggled to keep themselves out of the relegation battle.
5.18pmDespite that, they have had a positive run in the league as they are unbeaten in their last four, and in those games they managed to seal an emphatic 5-1 win over Real Sociedad and secured a 1-0 triumph over Gary Neville's Valencia.
5.22pmFernandez is no stranger to Barcelona as he used to play for the Catalans between 1994 and 2002. Ahead of the match, he told Barca TV:
"It's a 90-minute game and anything can happen. We will try to make things very difficult for them, but Barça is unbeatable at the moment and it's tough to do damage against them.
"Nonetheless, he acknowledged that a draw would be a good result for Sporting. We will never settle for a draw before the game is played, even hough it would be a great result against Barca."
© Getty Images
5.25pmHEAD TO HEAD: These two sides have met competitively eight times and as expected, Barcelona have won seven of them. In the last three matches between the clubs, on average, Sporting have conceded less than 2.5 goals against Barcelona.
5.27pmThe teams are making their way out onto the pitch. The action is moments away!
1 minKICKOFF! Sporting get us underway kicking from left to right...
1 minThe ball is chipped over the top to Turan from Neymar, but the midfielder cannot find an option while on the left side of the final third. The ball is played back and Barca seem happy to knock the ball around the middle of the park.
3 minMessi drops back to collect the ball from Rakitic and then plays the ball out wide to Adriano. The defender drives to the byline and then cuts the ball back, perhaps a bit too far, and Rakitic latches onto it. The midfielder goes for goal with a long-range shot, but his attempt drifts wide.
5 minThe visitors are very comfortable here as they look more than happy just keeping the ball, and they are able to do so as Sporting are refraining from closing down their opponents.
6 minVidal rolls the ball to Rakitic, who moves towards the byline before lifting the ball into the box looking for Messi. The Argentine controls the ball before sending it across to Adriano, but his pass is a touch too heavy and the ball bobbles behind the line for a goal kick.
9 minNeymar has some work to do as two players swarm around him in the middle of the park. He manages to keep hold of the ball for some time, but it eventually gets nicked off him by Sporting. The home side don't hold possession for long, though, as they get penalised for a foul.
10 minCHANCE! So close! The first opportunity of the game goes to Sporting Gijon! They may have been on the backfoot, but they were inches away from taking the lead through a counter-attack. After a charge through the midfield from Halilovic, the ball is eventually played out wide to Menendez, who drills a low shot towards the right corner, but it drifts wide.
13 minBarcelona get a free kick towards the byline in Sporting's half. Turan goes down easy following a shoulder charge from Lora and the referee blows his whistle. Neymar takes the set piece, but it's headed out by the home defence.
15 minBarcelona resume their dominance on the ball, but so far, Sporting Gijon are doing well to keep the Catalan giants out of the goal.
16 minThe visitors almost cut through their opponents as a return pass from Suarez finds Turan in the box, but the midfielder catches the ball with his arm as he tries to control it and gets penalised.
17 minNeymar's passing is not quite on point today. The Brazilian cuts inside and looks to knock the ball back to his teammate, but he sends it straight into the feet of a Sporting player. Luckily for him, Barcelona win the ball back.
18 minOuch! Mere is forced off the pitch temporarily as blood is pouring from his ear. The defender actually got injured from his own teammate while trying to defend a ball coming into the box.
20 minSAVE! Neymar threads a lovely ball through to the penalty area for Suarez, who attempts a left-footed shot from close range, but Cuellar makes himself big enough to deny the Uruguayan. Suarez will feel that he should have done much better!
23 minBarcelona, as expected, are still dominating possession, but they're struggling to find a way through as Sporting are filling their own half with bodies. Also, Mere's head has been wrapped up in bandages and he's back on!
25 minGOAL! SPORTING GIJON 0-1 BARCELONA (MESSI)
25 min300 UP! The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored his 300th La Liga goal! What a phenomenal record at 28 years of age! The Argentine receives the ball from Suarez on the edge of the box before dropping his shoulder and drilling the ball with his left foot into the bottom corner.
27 minGOAL! SPORTING GIJON 1-1 BARCELONA (CASTRO)
27 minMy oh my! A spirited counter attack has resulted in a swift equaliser for Sporting! Mathieu made a mistake by moving out of his defensive position and the home side took advantage of that. Menendez storms into the box before sending the ball across goal to find Castro, who seals a tap-in. Game on!
31 minGOAL! SPORTING GIJON 1-2 BARCELONA (MESSI)
31 minHe's done it again! Within a few minutes, Lionel Messi has scored his 300th and 301st league goal! Barcelona ramp up the pressure after suffering an equaliser. Suarez does well to hold the ball up in the box before cutting it back to Messi, who sends the ball into the back of the with the outside of his left foot.
33 minOFF THE POST! Barcelona are ripping Sporting apart here! Messi comes close to scoring a hat-trick by hammering the ball from the edge of the area, but Cuellar makes a decent save. The ball eventually bobbles back to Neymar, who tries to curl it past the keeper, but the post denies him.
36 minNeymar tries to get involved in the goalscoring action as he moves into the corner of the box before driving forward and aiming for the far post, but his low shot just drags wide of the target.
39 minNeymar, Suarez and Messi are comfortably cutting through Sporting's defence as they hunt for a third Barcelona goal, and you sense that it is on it's way soon. The home side will be eager not to concede again before the end of the first half. At least that way they can regroup and will still be in this game.
42 minThe referee has a word with Adriano after he gets penalised for a foul on Menendez close to the byline in Sporting's half, but replays show that the Barcelona man did not do too much wrong.
44 minSporting get a breather as they receive a free kick in the middle of the pitch, but they waste it and Barcelona resume possession.
45+1 minHALF-TIME: SPORTING GIJON 1-2 BARCELONA
46 minRESTART! Barcelona get the second half underway! Can they add to their goal tally or will Sporting stage a surprise comeback?
47 minSome quick movement from Suarez as he taps the ball with the inside of his right foot to direct the ball wide to Turan, who drives to the byline and attempts a cut-back, but it gets blocked.
48 minPique goes for a spectacular goal by attempting a scissor kick in the box, but the ball ends up in the hands of the keeper.
49 minMessi has been dictating the game so far and he continues that by switching the play to Vidal, who charges towards the byline and cuts the ball back into the box, but it goes straight to an opposing player.
51 minSuarez denied by the offside flag! A lovely through-ball from Neymar finds the Uruguayan, but the forward made his run too early and he gets stopped before he can get a shot at goal.
54 minOuch! Busquets gets one square in the face! Halilovic looks to cross the ball into he box, but it slams right into the face of the Barcelona midfielder, who is receiving treatment, but seems like he'll be okay to continue.
55 minSHOT! Perez tries to make things happen for Sports Mole as he goes for a long-range shot, aiming for the middle of the net, but Bravo makes a comfortable stop.
57 minHalilovic storms into the box, getting past numerous Barca shirts, but he goes to ground claiming a penalty after Turan nicked the ball off him. The referee made the right call by refusing a penalty as Halilovic actually caught Turan's boot.
60 minNeymar one-twos with Suarez before getting stopped in his tracks on the edge of the penalty area. Much like the first half, Barcelona are in control, but Sporting are doing well to defend.
61 minPENALTY TO BARCELONA!
61 minThe referee points to the spot and its an easy decision as Neymar gets brought down by the goalkeeper after over-stretching trying to stop the Brazilian close to the byline.
62 minPENALTY SAVED! Suarez tries to get on the scoresheet, but he's denied by the keeper! The Uruguayan takes it quickly and aims for the bottom left corner by Cuellar makes the stop!
65 minSporting Gijon have some tired legs out there and Castro needs some help from his teammate as he struggles with cramp. They have defended for most of this game as Barcelona search for a third. The home side will be boosted by Suarez's missed penalty, though.
67 minGOAL! SPORTING GIJON 1-3 BARCELONA (SUAREZ)
67 minSuarez makes up for missing the penalty by curling one into the net! The Uruguayan, as he so often does, creates something out of nothing as he picks the ball up in the box before switching feet, turning away from his marker and beating the keeper.
69 minI think it's safe to say that Barcelona will be taking home three points. Throughout the whole game it's been a matter of when rather than if. Perhaps Suarez's strike will be the winner.
71 minCHANCE! Messi passes the ball over the top to Turan, who, with his first touch, sends the ball across the face of goal, but it's too far ahead for Suarez. On reflection, Turan should have had a go himself!
74 minSPORTING SUBS: The home side have made all three changes as Jonathan Menendez, Blanco and Garcia come on, replacing Castro, Perez and Alex Menendez.
81 minBARCELONA SUBS: Enrique makes some changes as Busquets, who is on a yellow card, makes way for Mascherano and Bartra comes on for Pique.
84 minIt's plain sailing for Barcelona as they comfortably retain possession and look content to the play the game out holding on to their lead.
85 minSporting were always going to be underdogs for this match, but it is surprising that nine changes were made to the side. They have at times defended well, but the gulf in quality between these two sides has been evident.
86 minHalilivoc tries a shot from distance after cutting inside towards the middle of the final third, but his attempt fails to trouble the keeper and the ball flies over the bar.
90+1 minAs the referee signals three minutes of added time, Messi searches for a hat-trick as he gets into the middle of the box and tries to tease the ball in, but his shot is deflected out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
90+3 minFULL-TIME: SPORTING GIJON 1-3 BARCELONA
7.24pmJob done! Barcelona extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table by six points and Lionel Messi marks the night with his historic 300th league goal. The magician scored twice and Luis Suarez redeemed himself after missing a penalty by adding to the scoresheet. Carlos Castro scored a first-half equaliser for Sporting, but it was not enough to spark a surprise comeback and the game ended 3-1 to Barcelona. Thank you for joining us, and until next time, goodbye!
