Barcelona once again moved five points clear at the top of La Liga with a 6-0 win over Getafe on Tuesday.
Five of the goals came in the first period, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez (2), Neymar and Xavi all on the scoresheet.
Messi added his second in the 47th minute, but that was where the scoring ended at Camp Nou.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics
BARCELONA
Shots: 20
On target: 12
Possession: 73%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
GETAFE
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 27%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 5
Was the result fair?
Barcelona would have expected to collect all three points in comfortable fashion at Camp Nou, but not many would have predicted what occurred in the first period. Getafe contributed to their downfall with their inability to keep possession, but the home side's work in the final third was quite exceptional, with Messi, Suarez, Neymar and Xavi all on the same wavelength. Getafe actually had some decent chances in the first period, but they were always struggling down the other end of the field.
When Messi scored Barca's sixth early in the second period, Getafe might have expected to be on the end of a hiding, but the tempo did drop as the match developed, with both teams making changes and conserving their energy ahead of more pressing matters. Getafe probably deserved a goal for their efforts, with Fredy Hinestroza coming close on a couple of occasions, but there is no question that the home team deserved to run out clear and comfortable winners in Barcelona.
Barcelona's performance
Barca boss Luis Enrique made four changes to his team from the 2-0 win over Espanyol, with Adriano, Jeremy Mathieu, Marc Bartra and Xavi all starting at Camp Nou. It was once again Neymar, Messi and Suarez in attack, however, and the trio moved onto 102 goals for the season. Messi and Suarez both scored twice, while Neymar registered in the 28th minute to ensure that all three continued their strong run of scoring form. It was a penalty that brought the game's opening goal, but the first half's other four strikes were all exceptional, with Xavi's just about the pick of the bunch from outside the box. As mentioned, there were some nervy moments at the back, but Barca's work in the final third was an absolute joy to witness.
Enrique did make changes in a bid to freshen his squad, but it was not a surprise that Neymar, Messi and Suarez continued in attack, such is their form. Those three will rightly receive the plaudits, but Xavi, who was only on the field for an hour, must also be credited for a wonderful performance. If there can be a criticism of Barcelona, then it is that their second-half display, particularly the final 30 minutes, was quite sloppy, but they did come close to scoring a seventh though Messi and Suarez, who ran riot all evening. Attacking-wise, it was a dream performance, but Claudio Bravo looked a little nervy in goal and Enrique will certainly have some defensive concerns, with Mathieu and Bartra struggling as a partnership. That said, it is another game ticked off and as it stands, the Catalan outfit have a five-point lead. The pressure is back on Real Madrid.
Getafe's performance
Still without leading scorer Alvaro Vasquez, who is unlikely to play again this season following shoulder surgery, Getafe boss Pablo Franco had to select a severely understrength team in Barcelona, with Karim Yoda, Juan Valera, Diego Castro and Angel Lafita also all injured. Alexis and Emiliano Velazquez were back from suspension, but key centre-back Naldo was left out with the weekend in mind. Getafe actually started quite brightly, but they were behind in the ninth minute when Alvaro Arroyo brought Suarez to the ground just inside the box - allowing Messi to open the scoring. Barca's next four goals were all brilliant and on another day, a couple of those would have flown the wrong side of the post. The game was over as a contest when the third goal went in, however, and it was always a damage limitation exercise from that point forward.
Conceding six times is always a disaster, but as mentioned, Getafe were a threat in the final third. The statistics demonstrate that they had seven shots in total, with Fredy coming close on more than one occasion. It was never a game that they were going to win, but Franco will have been encouraged with his team's response to conceding the sixth goal. It would have been easy to completely fold at that point, but for long spells of the second period, they did defend well. It is also unlikely to have too much of an impact on their season, with seven points still separating them from the bottom three. The capital outfit will be keen to move on as quickly as possible, but despite the result, they are still in a decent position in the table.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Luis Suarez: In truth, this award could have been handed to any one of Neymar, Messi, Suarez or Xavi, but the Uruguayan international just shades it. He scored two goals on the night, in addition to winning the penalty and setting up Neymar for the third goal. The former Liverpool forward was criticised during the early part of his Barcelona career, but his form over the last couple of months has been quite sensational.
Biggest gaffe
As mentioned, all of Barcelona's goals that came from open play were brilliant finishes and therefore no real blame can be placed on Getafe's defenders in terms of individual errors. However, Arroyo must take some of the blame for starting things off. Suarez had turned away from the Spaniard just outside the box and the defender lunged to bring the striker to the ground. That allowed Messi to open the scoring and it was all downhill from that moment.
Referee performance
In truth, referee David Fernandez will have had more stressful evenings walking in the park. The official did not issue a single yellow card and only had one major decision to make - the first-half penalty, which was a simple call. Fernandez was simply not seen for long spells, which is always a good sign for a referee.
What next?
Barcelona: Barca will continue their title charge away to basement side Cordoba on Saturday afternoon.
Getafe: Next up for Getafe is a home match with struggling Granada on Sunday.
No Data Analysis info