La Liga: Lionel Messi on target for Barcelona against Real Sociedad

Story highlights

Barcelona defeats Real Sociedad 4-0 in La Liga

Neymar, Suarez and Messi all score in comfortable win

Real Madrid beats Eibar to go second

Bale and Ronaldo score for Los Blancos

CNN  — 

Barcelona’s holy trinity of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi all scored as Barcelona comfortably swept aside Real Sociedad 4-0 at the Nou Camp Saturday.

The South American attacking triumvirate was playing its first home La Liga match together since Messi suffered knee ligament damage in September.

And the diminutive Argentine had to wait in line behind the Brazil’s Neymar and Uruguay’s Suarez, who have scored goals aplenty in the interim, for his moment Saturday.

A fleet-footed Neymar burst in front of the Sociedad defense to open the scoring after 22 minutes before a spectacular Suarez volley doubled the advantage just before halftime.

Neymar grabbed his second at the start of the second period before laying on Messi in injury time to round off the scoring.

The result marks the second straight La Liga game in which Barca has scored four goals without conceding. The Catalans thrashed title rival Real Madrid by the same score last weekend.

Saturday’s win initially put Barca seven points ahead at the top of the La Liga table. But that deficit was cut back down to four by second-placed Atletico Madrid which beat Espanyol 1-0 later Saturday.

Third-placed Real Madrid moved to within six points again with a 2-0 win over Eibar Sunday with Gareth Bale in the first half and Cristiano Ronaldo with a second half penalty putting Los Blancos back on track after the El Clasico debacle.

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has been quick to praise his team for its rich vein of form.

However, he was keen to emphasize that there is much football still to be played before trophies are handed out in May and June.

“It is not a cliche, there is a long way to go and we will all drop points between now and the end of the season,” Enrique said in quotes carried by the AFP news agency.

“That we are in a good moment is undoubted and that the players are enjoying it is evident. But the players are very intelligent.

“There is no team in the world that has won a league in November or December,” Enrique added.