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A brace from Lionel Messi and Francisco Trincao, added to a Junior Firpo goal helped Barcelona to an emphatic 5-1 demolition of Alaves at Camp Nou.
The hosts' named a vastly changed starting lineup, with Ronald Koeman handing Ilaix Moriba and Trincao their first starts in La Liga.
An open-ended start to the game saw both sides fashion good chances in the early periods, with the two goalkeepers forced into fine saves.
It was Barcelona who, however, broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark. An excellent cross into the box from Oscar Mingueza was laid on by Moriba for Trincao to slot home with a one-time finish.
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They thought they had doubled their lead soon after when Lionel Messi converted a right-footed shot that had been parried into his path. Antoine Griezmann was, however, adjudged to have been offside from the original shot.
The Barcelona captain was not to be denied with the last kick of the first half. He embarked on a trademark dribble from the right flank before scoring from outside the area with a shot that crept in off both posts.
The deficit was halved by the visitors early in the second half. A short pass by Moriba allowed half-time substitute Luis Rioja to run half the length of the field before slotting past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The Alaves striker scored in the reverse fixture to put the Basques ahead before Griezmann leveled matters in the second half.
There was to be no shock result at Camp Nou though, as three quickfire goals helped put daylight between Barcelona and their visitors.
The first of those came in the 73rd minute when Messi's shot was parried by Pacheco into the path of Trincao who made no mistake from 12 yards out.
Just over a minute later, Messi got his brace, dribbling past two Alaves defenders before scoring a wonder-goal from 23 yards.
The rout was completed in the 76th minute after an exquisite dinked pass from Messi was squared by Griezmann for Junior Firpo to tap into an empty net.
The victory sees Barcelona climb back into second place, eight points behind table-toppers Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Barcelona keep winning run going in La Liga
Barcelona's defeat to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-final halted their winning run at six games in all competitions.
Apart from that loss, the Blaugrana came into this match on an 11-game unbeaten run in La Liga. Their victory over Alaves means that they are now 12-games unbeaten in the league, the longest undefeated streak in the competition.
It also extended the club's winning run to seven games consecutively, reducing the deficit at the summit.
Despite their fine run, it looks unlikely that Barcelona will reclaim the league title. However, they look well primed to take advantage of any slip-up.
#4 Action-packed debut for Ilaix Moriba
Ilaix Moriba is regarded as one of the highest-rated players in La Masia, leading to him signing a contract with a buyout clause of €100m in 2019.
Having initially starred for Barcelona B, the midfielder was handed his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey last month.
With a marquee UEFA Champions League tie looming, Koeman took the chance to rest some of his players and handed Moriba a debut in La Liga.
The 18-year-old took the chance to showcase his abilities on the big stage. Despite being surrounded by world-beaters, Moriba did not look out of place and he showed a willingness to take the ball forward and try to make things happen.
He showed great ingenuity to set Trincao up for the opener and fashioned several other chances for his teammates.
His confidence, however, got the better of him when an ambitious pass to Clement Lenglet in a dangerous position was caught out and led to a goal.
Despite this minor setback, Moriba made a positive impact in the 64 minutes he spent on the field.
#3 Francisco Trincao continues positive development
Francisco Trincao has been one of the revelations for Barcelona since the turn of the year.
The 18-year-old came off the bench to score the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Real Betis last weekend. It was his first goal for Barcelona and he was rewarded with a start against Alaves.
Trincao rewarded his manager's faith with two well-taken goals and could have scored a hat-trick but for some fine saves by Fernando Pacheco.
#2 Perfect preparation for the visit of Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona have been drawn with PSG in the round-of-16 of the UEFA Champions League, with the first leg scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The La Liga side's initial struggles had many pin the French outfit as favorites in the tie but the pendulum has swung since then.
Neymar suffered an injury in the cup clash with Caen in midweek, ruling the Brazilian out of the clash with his former side. This robs the Parisians off their most potent weapon and Barcelona will fancy their chances against the French champions.
Having suffered a morale-draining defeat to Sevilla last week, the Catalans needed a response and they gave an emphatic statement with their victory over Alaves.
It was a comprehensive display from the Camp Nou outfit and will help reinstall confidence ahead of the visit of PSG.
#1 Evergreen Lionel Messi inspires Barcelona to yet another victory
Lionel Messi took to the field for the 505th time in La Liga for Barcelona. This saw him draw level with the great Xavi Hernandez as the player with the most league appearances in the club's history.
He is now just eight appearances from Xavi's total appearances in all competitions and Messi celebrated the milestone with a well-taken brace.
Both goals were throwbacks to Lionel Messi at his very best, with dribbles and precise shots from outside the box leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
In addition to his brace, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner also had a hand in two other goals. His saved shot was parried to Trincao for the fourth goal, while he started the buildup for the fifth with a delightfully dinked pass.
The goals took the Argentina international to 15 league goals for the season, one behind Luis Suarez in his quest for a fifth consecutive Pichichi crown.
