Barcelona made it a record 35 games unbeaten in all competitions with a 5-1 win at Rayo Vallecano, thanks to a Lionel Messi hat trick.
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick as Barcelona broke Real Madrid's Spanish record of 34 games unbeaten in all competitions with a 5-1 win at nine-man Rayo Vallecano, moving eight points clear at the top of La Liga.
Luis Enrique's men were already five points ahead of Atletico Madrid going into Thursday's clash in Vallecas and took full advantage of their game in hand to stretch their lead.
Having come under some early pressure from Rayo, Barca was the beneficiary of a large stroke of fortune as a blunder from goalkeeper Juan Carlos allowed Ivan Rakitic to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.