Barcelona opened up an 11-point lead at the top of LaLiga after hammering Real Betis 5-0 at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday.

Ernesto Valverde's side saw second-placed Atletico Madrid draw 1-1 against Girona on Saturday and took full advantage in Seville.

They had to wait until the second half to open the scoring, through Ivan Rakitic in the 59th minute, but eventually ran out comfortable winners.

Lionel Messi made it 2-0 just five minutes after Rakitic had struck and Luis Suarez's effort in the 69th minute effectively ended the contest.

Messi added his second of the night with 10 minutes remaining and Suarez grabbed a brace of his own late on.

The leaders are 19 points ahead of fourth-placed Real Madrid and extended their unbeaten run in the league to 27 games.

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