Barcelona don’t need gifts to win games but they were presented with two in a dominant win over Rayo Vallecano in which Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick.
Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Juan Carlos dropped a simple cross at the feet of Ivan Rakitic on 22 minutes to open the floodgates.
And after Messi had doubled Barca’s lead Rayo had Real Madrid loanee Diego Llorente sent off just before half time for a wild challenge on Rakitic.
Rakitic celebrates his goal, which set Barcelona on the way to yet another win in their incredible unbeaten run
Lionel Messi doubled the visitors' advantage a matter of seconds later, after swapping passes with Brazilian star Neymar
Messi added two more for his hat-trick and has now scored 20 goals in 16 games this year.
He could have had four but allowed Luis Suarez to take a penalty which he missed. It was Barca’s seventh missed spot-kick this season.
Substitute Arda Turan scored his first goal for Barcelona to make it five and Rayo finished the game with nine men after Manuel Iturra was also sent off.
'I didn't see any referee out there tonight,' complained Rayo coach Paco Jemez after the game.
The opening goal came after Sergi Roberto centred from the right and the home side’s keeper came out for what should have been a comfortable catch but he spilled it straight to Rakitic who scored his fourth goal of the season. Only the front three have scored more and they were soon in on the act.
Messi fed Neymar down the left and he pulled the ball back to the Argentine who scored the second.
It could have been three when Neymar hooked the ball across the face of the goal for Suarez but his volley went straight to the goalkeeper.
For all their defensive frailties Rayo will always create and they could have pulled one back. Adrian Embarba crossed from the left and Quini should have found the target with his free-header.
Having so nearly narrowed the deficit Rayo then made the second half an irrelevance when Llorente was shown a straight red for a foul on Rakitic.
The young defender was perhaps unlucky. He got the ball as both players threw themselves into the challenge but he caught Rakitic on the follow through and referee Inaki Vicandi showed no mercy.
The Rayo bench was furious and there were bizarre scenes at half time as the referee walked off the pitch with Rayo coach Paco Jemez walking slowly in front of him, obliging him to take longer to leave the pitch giving the Rayo supporters more time to whistle him.
He finally made it down the tunnel with a couple of shield-carrying riot police in close attendance.
Rayo have had five players sent off this season. They lack discipline at times, but what they definitely don’t lack is courage and an unwavering belief in attacking football and with ten men they were the first to threaten with Claudio Bravo charging from his goal to stop Bebe converting.
The third was not long in arriving though. Suarez hit the post and the ball rolled out to Messi who scored his second of the night and the 300th Barcelona have scored since Luis Enrique took over at the start of last season.
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