Messi crushes Eibar heroics

A visit to th Camp Nou is daunting for any side, even if the hosts did come out with the notable absences of Luis Suarez, on the bench, and Ousmane Dembele, who underwent surgery on his hamstring injury.

Barcelona have the squad depth to replace almost any position, and 13th-placed Eibar were certainly classed as the underdogs ahead of kick-off. However, ten minutes into the fixture and the visitors were looking very much the better side with Ernesto Valverde's team unable to fully assert their dominance.

Partly responsible was Eibar's high pressure which made it very difficult for Barcelona to play. The home side attempted from early on to play themselves from the back, but the visitors came out with the plan to smother their early build-up to ensure things did not go Valverde's way.

The pressure almost paid off early on when Enrich was played in behind the defence in a debatable position. The flag stayed down and with only the keeper to beat Ter Stegen pulled off a fine stop to deny the Eibar frontman.

Barcelona went into the game with a comfortable lead at the top of La Liga table but Eibar did not look fearful as they battled forward throughout the first forty-five minutes. But Barcelona's lethargic start evaporated in an instant when Iniesta relased Semedo inside the penalty area. All the right-back had to do was get in front of his marker and go to ground under a clumsy challenge from Galvez.

The referee pointed to the spot and Messi calmly floated his kick over Dmitrovic and into the back of the net. Once Eibar's resistence was torn down, their fate was sealed.

The game appeared to open up after the deadlock was broken, but with Barcelona coming to life, the away side's attempts to burst forward seemed to be all in vain. The Basque side never threw in the towel and remained faithful to their style, but they found no reward to their industrious performance.

Paulinho, who was awarded a start at the Camp Nou after scoring the winner at Getafe, rose to head a powerful corner into the net and make his contribution to the deceiving scoreline.

Ernesto Valverde's men were not yet home and hosed with Eibar pushing for a goal, but after the break the hosts came out a more composed side to shatter the visitors' slim hopes of a comeback.

Eight frantic minutes

Barcelona managed to put some daylight between themselves and the team that had arrived at the Camp Nou with their heads held high. Messi began his exhibition hitting a low drive at Dmitrovic which allowed Denis Suarez to bang in the rebound at the near post.

Eibar had not quite hit the mat when the home team switched off at the back and Sergi Enrich side-footed a cross beyond Ter Stegen. But there was not to be a glorious comeback as Messi passed a sensational ball into the bottom corner just two minutes later.

Mendilibar's team refused to give up and Inui was denied by a fantastic Ter Stegen save, only for Barcelona to punish Eibar immediately at the other end. Paulinho slipped the ball for Messi who simply poked the ball under the keeper to make it five.

The Catalans ruthlessly threw bodies forward in search of a sixth goal and Messi tapped another one in while Eibar's fortunes were summed up when they hit the woodwork twice in the dying minutes.

Barcelona earned an emphatic win at the Camp Nou at the expense of a combative Eibar side, with Valverde's side moving five points clear at the top of La Liga table.