Madrid - A 3-0 win away to Sevilla, with two goals from the exuberant Lionel Messi, late Saturday has left impressive Barcelona six points clear at the top of the Spanish Liga. Their sixth successive away win means that Josep Guardiola's slick side now have 32 points from 13 games, six points more than Real Madrid, who crashed 3-1 in Getafe earlier on Saturday.
In third place, on 25, are Villarreal. Sevilla stay tied on 24 with Valencia.
Sevilla were expected to give Barca a tough test but the "Pep Team" carried on from where they left off on Wednesday against Sporting Lisbon - dominating possession and creating countless chances.
Samuel Eto'o put them ahead in the 21st minute with a clever right-foot shot after picking up a rebound in the Sevilla area.
His latest goal leaves Eto'o top of the scorers' chart with 14.
Sevilla veteran Frederic Kanoute hit the Barca bar just before half-time, but the Catalans enjoyed 65 per cent possession and rarely looked in danger.
Twelve minutes from the end, Messi made it 2-0 with a flamboyant left-foot drive, after being put through by a Xavi header.
Sevilla's stormy petrel Luis Fabiano then got himself sent off once again, this time for punching Sergio Busquets off the ball.
With Sevilla desperate to hear the final whistle, Messi rounded Andres Palop and made it 3-0 with another of his elastic left-foot shots.
Barca right-back Daniel Alves, playing against his former club, said, "It was a really special game for me, after winning so much for Sevilla."
The Brazilian added, "We are working really hard at the moment, and are achieving beautiful things."
Earlier on Saturday, Real Madrid had been taken apart by determined Getafe.
Getafe dominated from start to finish and should have won by a bigger margin. They had no less than five good penalty appeals turned down, and hit Iker Casilla's woodwork twice.
"We should have scored more goals tonight," said Getafe's two-goal hero Juan Albin. "But the important thing is the three points, not the goals that did not go in."
Real coach Bernd Schuster, who narrowly avoided the sack two weeks ago, had to redesign his team twice in the first half as first Wesley Sneijder and then Miguel Torres limped off injured.
Real started the game without seven injury victims. They fell behind after just three minutes, when Uruguayan youngster Albin headed in a perfect centre from Jaime Gavilan.
Albin made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half with a speculative near-post shot, which the out-of-form Iker Casillas made a mess of.
In the 56th minute, Real's Javier Saviola reduced arrears after being put through by Guti, playing his 500th game for the whites.
But Real deserved to take nothing from the game and nine minutes from time, supersub Ikechuwku Uche made it 3-1 after being set up by the outstanding Albin.
