Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona beat Almeria 4-0 at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi registered in the first period for the hosts, before Suarez (2) and Marc Bartra struck in the second.
The victory initially moved Barca seven points clear at the top of La Liga, but Real Madrid's win over Rayo Vallecano in the later match kept the gap at four points.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action.
Match statistics
BARCELONA
Shots: 19
On target: 12
Possession: 72%
Corners: 14
Fouls: 9
ALMERIA
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 28%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
There is no question that the home side deserved to run out comfortable winners at Camp Nou, but the final score is perhaps a touch harsh on Almeria, who played well for periods of the match. It was a frustrating opening 30 minutes for Barcelona, with the visitors setting up with two banks of four and restricting the league leaders to half-chances rather than clear opportunities. It took a moment of magic from Messi to break the deadlock and in truth, Almeria were always struggling from that moment, despite the fact that they remained a threat on the counter-attack.
If the first goal was big, the second was always going to be important and when it came for Barcelona, the match was effectively over. Barca's first two goals were both of a high standard and Almeria were unfortunate to fall 2-0 behind. In truth, a two-goal margin would have probably been a fair result, but two more goals for the hosts late on added gloss to the scoreline. Barca absolutely dominated possession (72%) on their own patch and had 13 more attempts than Almeria. It was a solid performance from Luis Enrique's side, especially considering the number of changes.
Barcelona's performance
In total, Enrique made six changes to his XI at Camp Nou, with Sergio Busquets suspended and the likes of Neymar, Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta all dropping to the bench. That meant a rare start for Pedro, while Xavi was given a spot in the middle of midfield. As touched upon, it took a bit of time for the hosts to break through the Almeria backline, but Messi and Xavi both had good opportunities before the first goal arrived. As mentioned, both of Barca's first two goals were excellent strikes and the second from Suarez certainly settled the home supporters, who were becoming increasingly concerned with Almeria's threat on the counter-attack, especially through the lively Thievy Bifouma, who impressed at Camp Nou.
There was not really a period of the match where the Catalan outfit looked in trouble, however, and had they conceded, they would have had more than enough down the other end to claim all the points. Pedro replaced Neymar in the XI, but despite setting up Suarez late on, the Spaniard struggled to make his mark. Messi showed signs that a foot injury is troubling him, but the Argentine did register his 33rd league goal of the season in the 33rd minute. At 2-0, many would have been critical of Barcelona, who were far from their best, but a four-goal victory is always impressive. A couple more goals for Suarez will also do him the world of good as the campaign enters its most vital stage. It is now 20 wins in their last 21 games.
Almeria's performance
The powers-that-be decided to remove Juan Ignacio Martinez from his position as head coach following a disappointing run of form and it was former Barcelona player Sergi Barjuan that took charge of his first game as Almeria boss at Camp Nou. The Spaniard was unable to select either Verza or Sebastian Dubarbier in his first XI, with the key duo both suspended. The new boss did ring the changes, however, with Antonio Marin coming in for his senior debut and both Thomas Partey and Javier Espinosa given spots in midfield. It was a team that also included Thievy and Wellington Silva, and the forward pair combined in the first period to set up arguably the best chance of the half. Opportunities at Barcelona do not arrive too often, however, and they were made to pay for that missed effort.
As touched upon, Almeria could not do much with either Messi's strike or Suarez's first goal, but Bartra's header, which came from a corner, will have disappointed the manager. A fourth was always likely as Almeria pushed forward late on and it was Pedro that broke the lines before squaring for Suarez to finish. Barjuan will feel that he can take a number of positives from the match, despite the fact that they were on the end of a four-goal defeat. Had Almeria been able to keep a clean sheet in the first period then it might have been a different story, but the game turned when Messi opened the scoring. It was a heavy loss at Camp Nou, but in this form, Almeria will cause the lesser teams problems.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Luis Suarez: The Uruguay international continued his solid run of scoring form with a double at Camp Nou. Suarez's first effort was a stunner which found the top corner, before he converted from close range in second-half stoppage time. The former Liverpool attacker was always on the move and his willingness to work created more space for those around him. It was another excellent showing from the 28-year-old.
Biggest gaffe
Almeria could not have done too much with either of Barcelona's first two goals, but they will be disappointed with the third. It is difficult enough keeping Barca out in general play, which makes conceding set-piece goals even more frustrating. Bartra was allowed all sorts of space inside the penalty box and had the simple task of angling his header into the bottom corner. The marking was just non-existent from the visitors.
Referee performance
In truth, this was not a difficult game for Alejandro Hernandez to referee. The Spaniard only issued two yellow cards at Camp Nou on what was a routine night. There were a couple of penalty shouts, but neither carried much weight and Hernandez was always in line to make the correct call.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will travel to Sevilla, who have not lost at home in any competition for over 12 months, on Saturday evening.
Almeria: Almeria face one of their biggest games of the season on Saturday as they host fellow strugglers Granada.
Matt Law
