Barcelona moved 16 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table with a 3-1 win over Real Valladolid at the Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla on Saturday.

They dominated the opening half of football, but had to wait until the 43rd minute to take the lead when Xavi converted from close range.

Barcelona continued to pressure in the second period and they made it two just before the hour mark with Lionel Messi scored from just inside the box.

Valladolid did grab a consolation late on through Javi Guerra, but it was not enough to take anything from the match as Cristian Tello secured a third for Barcelona late on.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.

Match statistics:

Real Valladolid:
Shots 3
On target 2
Possession 34%
Corners 2
Fouls 15

Barcelona:
Shots 10
On target 5
Possession 66%
Corners 4
Fouls 4

Was the result fair?

It would be difficult to make a case for anything other than a Barcelona win this evening. They controlled the tempo for the entirety of the match, with Valladolid struggling for any real possession, let alone chances to open their tally. It was as disappointing as the home side have been all season, but credit must be given to Barcelona for that.

Real Valladolid's performance

4/10. Valladolid simply did not turn up this evening. Whether that was due to the constant pressure from Barcelona is open to interpretation, but this was not the same side that threatened Real Madrid a few weeks previously. They could not get Manucho into the match, while Oscar also cut a frustrated figure.

Barcelona's performance

7/10. At no point during the 90 minutes were Barcelona worried this evening. They dominated possession from start to finish and but for some poor finishing in the opening period, they would have won by a more comfortable margin. They will enter the winter break nine points clear at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Messi ends the year with 91 goals.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Xavi: The Spaniard recently extended his contract with the club and he celebrated that with the first goal of the evening. However, it was his composure and use of the ball that impressed the most.

Biggest gaffe of the match

Alexis Sanchez had a glorious chance to put Barcelona ahead inside the opening 10 minutes of the match. However, the Chilean could not make proper contact despite needing just the slightest of touches to find the back of the net.

Referee performance

Carlos Clos had a successful 90 minutes of action this evening. He was prepared to let the match flow in the correct areas and was not caught up in the atmosphere in the early stages. Neither side would have had any complaints about his performance

What next?

Real Valladolid: Valladolid return to league action away to Celta Vigo on January 6. Meanwhile, they then host Real Mallorca one week later.

Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will attempt to continue their sensational winning run when they welcome lowly Espanyol to the Nou Camp on January 6.