Lionel Messi stole the show at the Riazor as he struck a hat-trick to help Barcelona to a 4-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.
© Getty Images
The Argentine threatened to start the scoring with his first effort of the evening after collecting a short corner, but he was denied when Fabricio pulled off an impressive low save.
However, Messi made no mistake a minute later as he found enough space in the box to head home from Ivan Rakitic's inviting cross.
Deportivo offered very little going forward in the first half, and they were fortunate not to fall further behind when Luis Suarez failed to hit the target on the turn after collecting Andres Iniesta's clever pass.
Barcelona's dominant attack would be rewarded again before the half-time interval as Messi latched onto a loose ball in the box, before showing quick feet to beat Fabricio with a chipped finish.
© Getty Images
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Suarez wasting a golden chance to extend his side's lead when he fired over after good work from Neymar.
Opportunities were rare for Deportivo, but a long ball into the box almost brought them back into the game as Juan Dominguez forced Claudio Bravo into a fine save.
The home side's slim chances of forcing a comeback were gone just after the hour mark as Messi completed his hat-trick by collecting a short corner before curling a stunning effort into the bottom corner.
Despite Suarez's own struggles in front of goal, the Uruguayan continued to be a threat to the Deportivo defence, and his creativity almost gifted another goal to Messi, who volleyed over from his teammate's cross.
There was still time for Barcelona to add a fourth late on as Alberto Lopo's attempted clearance from an Alves cross struck Sidnei to leave Fabricio helpless as the ball rolled over the line.
Suarez was denied once again in the closing stages as he twisted inside the box to find space before seeing his low strike hit the foot of Fabricio.
The win takes Barcelona to within a point of Real Madrid, who still have a game in hand over their fierce rivals.
