Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Barcelona extended their winning streak to seven games in all competitions, thanks to a comfortable 4-0 home triumph over Real Sociedad.
The fearsome front trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez all scored for Luis Enrique's side, who have not tasted defeat since a 2-1 reverse away at Sevilla on October 3.
Neymar converted crosses from Dani Alves and Jeremy Mathieu to grab a goal in each half, while he also set up the fit-again Messi to make it 4-0 in the closing minutes.
However, it was Suarez who scored the pick of the bunch. The former Liverpool forward made it 2-0 to the hosts shortly before the break with a superb volley.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the match at the Camp Nou.
Winner: Neymar
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Barcelona's star-studded front three all scored against Real Sociedad, with Neymar finding the net twice.
His first came with his right foot as he converted Dani Alves' low centre, while he doubled his tally in the second half with his left to sweep home Jeremy Mathieu's cross.
Per Squawka Football on Twitter, Neymar has now recorded 11 goals and five assists in his last seven outings in La Liga. That is the very definition of an in-form forward.
The Brazilian has now scored 14 times in La Liga this season—the same tally as the entire Real Sociedad squad.
Loser: Aritz Elustondo
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Real Sociedad always faced a tall order to get anything from their trip to the Camp Nou, a venue where they had not tasted victory since 1991, per Press Association Sport (h/t Eurosport).
Defender Aritz Elustondo found it particularly tough, as he was handed the nigh-on-impossible task of trying to cope with Barcelona's Neymar.
The full-back eventually resorted to pulling the tricky Brazilian back in the 56th minute, resulting in him becoming one of five visiting players to be shown a yellow card.
Winner: Dani Alves
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Dani Alves was the architect for Barcelona's two first-half goals.
The full-back picked out Neymar with a low cross that allowed his fellow Brazilian to sweep the home side ahead, while it was his lofted ball into the area that Luis Suarez acrobatically volleyed home for the second.
Alves received a standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd when he was replaced by Adriano just after an hour.
OptaJose tweeted: "Only Leo Messi (113) has completed more assists than Dani Alves (95) in the last decade in La Liga."
Loser: Eusebio Sacristan
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Real Sociedad manager Eusebio Sacristan must have dreamed of leading his current employers to victory over Barcelona, a club he served as both a player and coach.
However, his return to the Camp Nou ended up being a nightmare.
La Real's high press caused a few early issues for Barcelona, but the visitors looked doomed to defeat from the moment they conceded the first goal in the 22nd minute.
Eusebio—who took over at Real Sociedad following the departure of David Moyes on November 9—had won his opening game in charge, 2-0, against Sevilla on November 21.
Winner: Luis Suarez
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Luis Suarez scored the pick of Barcelona's four goals, as he executed a spectacular volley to perfection just before half-time.
Dani Alves' deep cross from the right picked out the Uruguayan, who then twisted his body in the air to fire the ball to the left of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
It was Suarez's 11th goal in his last seven games, per WhoScored.com on Twitter.
He also had a hand in Barcelona's fourth, playing a well-weighted pass through to Neymar that allowed the Brazilian to set up Lionel Messi.
According to AS, Suarez will have a statue built in his honour in his home town of Salto, Uruguay. If he keeps going at his current rate, the forward may end up having one erected in Barcelona, too.
Winner: Lionel Messi
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In making his La Liga return against Real Sociedad, Lionel Messi appeared in his 600th career game for club and country.
The Argentina international—starting in La Liga for the first time since suffering a knee injury against Las Palmas on September 26—seemed destined to miss out on marking the milestone with a goal.
He struck the woodwork with one of a number of shots he attempted in the second half.
However, Messi finally managed to get the ball in the net in injury time, tapping home Neymar's cross from the left.
Journalist Sid Lowe tweeted after the game: "Neymar, Messi, Suarez. It's not just that those three are ridiculously good, it's that they're ridiculously good together."
