FC Barcelona ended their crisis of results in emphatic style to ensure they will remain on the top of the BBVA Primera Liga on Wednesday when they won 8-0 away to Deportivo la Coruna with Luis Suarez in star form.
Barcelona kicked off their game after a run of just a draw and three defeats from their last 4 games but were quickly into a 2-0 lead against a Deportivo side which has had a poor start to the season.
Suarez opened the scoring from close range following a corner after 11 minutes and added a second on 24 minutes following a fine pass from Neymar.
He should have finished his hat-trick after 33 minutes, but managed to fall over the ball when it looked easier to score, but it didn’ t make much difference as he scored twice more after the break as Barca ran rampant.
Ivan Rakitic also got his name on the scoresheet along with Leo Messi, Marc Bartra and Neymar as Barca ran rampant with Suarez giving 3 assists to add to his goal haul.
Fernando Torres’ 38th minute goal kept Atletico level on points with Barca as they won 1-0 away to Athletic Club Bilbao in a typical Atletico performance which saw them win their game and then hold on as their rivals controlled the majority of the game.
The bad news for Atletico was the injury suffered by defender Diego Godin which could keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks.
Real Madrid also kept the pressure on with a 3-0 win at home to Villarreal. Karim Benzema took advantage of a goalkeeping error to put his side ahead after 41 minutes.
Lucas Vazquez doubled Madrid’s after 69 minutes before a rare Luka Modric goal confirmed the win six minutes later.
The only question mark was that Ronaldo had to go off with a possible injury in the closing moments of the game.
Valencia’s recovery continued apace as Paco Alcacer scored a hat-trick in his side’ s 4-0 win at home to Eibar, who last weekend assured their Primera Liga future.
Meanwhile, Sporting Gijon took a huge step towards safety as Ismael Lopez’s 91st minute goal gave them a 2-1 win at home to Sevilla, who has still failed to win this season, while Malaga and Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1.