Cesc Fabregas scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona as the Catalan outfit recorded a 5-0 win over Real Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday.
Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez both scored twice in the first period to leave a dominant Barcelona 4-0 ahead at the interval.
Fabregas grabbed his third and Barcelona's fifth in the early stages of the second half, but the biggest cheer of the evening arrived when Eric Abidal made his long-awaited comeback from illness in the latter stages.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.
Match statistics:
Barcelona:
Shots: 18
On target: 9
Possession: 75%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12
Mallorca:
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 25%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
There is not a possible situation where anything other than a comprehensive Barcelona win would have reflected the difference between the two sides this evening. Mallorca started the match on the front foot, but ever since the opening goal they were second best. The home side were just about as comfortable as you could possibly imagine at this level of football.
Barcelona's performance
Coach Tito Vilanova made seven changes from the side that faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League this week, but some things never change. Barcelona were simply stunning this evening as they utterly dominated the 90 minutes of football, with Mallorca unable to cope with the tempo of their play. However, the night belonged to Abidal, who finally made his comeback from illness.
Mallorca's performance
Even though Mallorca trailed 4-0 at the interval, they had made an encouraging start to the match. However, it was their willingness to attack that became their undoing as they left huge gaps in defence. They enjoyed more of the ball in the second half, but the damage had already been done. They now face a major fight to remain in the division.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cesc Fabregas: In truth, this accolade could have been awarded to either Fabregas or Sanchez, who were both wonderful this evening. The pair grabbed a brace apiece in the first period, but it was Fabregas who continued to dictate the tempo in the second half and scored his third after 46 minutes.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Sanchez had a wonderful chance to score Barcelona's third just before the 30-minute mark, but somehow he managed to fire wide of the target from no more than five yards. It mattered little in terms of the final score, but it was an extraordinary miss.
Referee performance
Cesar Muniz had a productive 90 minutes of action this evening. The Spaniard went unnoticed for large spells and was prepared to let the match flow in the correct areas. Overall, neither team will have had many complaints.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will attempt to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League when they welcome Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday, with the score level at 2-2.
Mallorca: Mallorca will continue their fight against relegation with a home match against fellow strugglers Celta Vigo on April 15.
Matt Law
