Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Barcelona extended their club-record unbeaten run to 30 matches with a 6-1 demolition of Primera Division rivals Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick, as well as provided two assists, as Luis Enrique's side moved back into a three-point lead at the top of the table in Spain.
However, despite the final scoreline, Barcelona didn't have things all their own way at Camp Nou.
Celta Vigo—who won the return fixture 4-1 on Sept. 23, 2015—cancelled out Lionel Messi's 28th-minute free-kick through a penalty from John Guidetti just before the break.
But, having been below par in the first half, Barcelona were irresistible after the interval.
Suarez scored his treble in the space of 23 minutes. The last of them came when Messi opted to pass a penalty to his team-mate rather than attempt to score his 300th La Liga goal from the spot.
Substitute Ivan Rakitic added a fifth for the hosts before Neymar rounded out the scoring in the 90th minute, in the process making sure all of the famed MSN forward line made it onto the scoresheet.
Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers from what was an eventful encounter.
Winner: Luis Suarez
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Luis Suarez raised his league tally for the season to 23 goals with a hat-trick against Celta Vigo.
His first was the best of the lot, as he allowed Lionel Messi's delicately floated pass to drop over his shoulder before striking a half-volleyed attempt beyond goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez into the top left corner.
The former Liverpool forward followed up with two simple finishes. The first came when he tapped home Neymar's effort from a tight angle at the far post.
His third was all down to a moment of ingenuity from Messi, who cleverly rolled his penalty to the right to allow his team-mate to score again.
Suarez has now scored five hat-tricks this season and has found the net 13 times in his last seven outings, according to ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter.
Loser: Daniel Wass
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Barcelona soundly beat Celta Vigo in the end, yet the visitors had two decent chances to draw level at 2-2 during the second half.
Both opportunities fell to Daniel Wass, a man who has scored just two La Liga goals all season.
The Danish midfielder failed to hit the target with his first attempt, smashing a shot over the bar when centrally placed in the area.
His second opportunity did see him at least force Claudio Bravo into a save, although his curling effort hardly had the Barcelona goalkeeper at full stretch.
Less than one minute later, Suarez scored at the other end of the field to open up a two-goal cushion. After conceding a third, Celta were simply blown away in the final 15 minutes.
Winner: Lionel Messi
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Lionel Messi has now scored just two of the five penalties he has taken in La Liga this season, according to OptaJoe on Twitter.
However, his attempt from the spot against Celta Vigo would be harshly judged as a miss.
After he had been fouled by Jonny, Messi ran up to casually strike an effort at goal. Instead, however, he cleverly laid the ball to his right, allowing Luis Suarez to complete his hat-trick in unlikely fashion.
The penalty was a flashback to 1982, when former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff and team-mate Jesper Olsen combined to do something similar for Ajax.
Celta manager Eduardo Berizzo had no problem with the incident, per AS (h/t Football Espana): "It was taken in different way, that’s it. It’s not disrespectful."
Messi did still find the net during the game, curling home a free-kick to break the deadlock.
Loser: Dani Alves
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For the second successive league fixture, Dani Alves came off for Aleix Vidal in the second half.
After being hauled off 74 minutes into the 2-0 win against Levante, the experienced full-back lasted just over an hour of the game against Celta Vigo.
Lethargic in defence and lacklustre going forward, Alves is under pressure to preserve his place in the team.
Lee Roden hinted as much in his match ratings for ESPN FC: "Deservedly taken off for Aleix Vidal with an hour played; he [Alves] will soon lose his starting spot if he isn't careful."
Winner: Neymar
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They say good things come to those who wait. Well, Neymar had to be patient for his goal against Celta Vigo.
After being denied in the first half by a sharp save from goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez, the Brazilian saw team-mate Luis Suarez tap home his potentially goal-bound effort after 75 minutes.
However, Neymar rounded out the scoring in style with Barcelona's sixth goal in the closing stages.
Picked out by Suarez's lovely pass across the field, Neymar's deft piece of control with his first touch allowed him to then lift the ball over the advancing Sergio.
Winner: Luis Enrique
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The Barcelona bandwagon just keeps on rolling.
Luis Enrique's side were not at the best for the majority of the match, yet they caught fire in the final 15 minutes to rip poor Celta Vigo to shreds.
Enrique—who has not seen his team suffer defeat since going down 2-1 to Sevilla on Oct. 3, 2015—told the club's official Twitter feed: "We want to enjoy ourselves and help our fans enjoy themselves, in a sporting way."
They certainly entertained in the closing stages, in the process taking their tally in La Liga to 62 goals for the season.
The result restores the Blaugrana's three-point cushion over nearest rivals Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
They could extend their advantage to six when they play their game in hand away at Sporting Gijon on Wednesday. Considering their current form, few will expect anything other than a road win in midweek.
