Barcelona moved nine points clear at the top of the La Liga table with a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Atletico took the lead after 31 minutes when Radamel Falcao converted from close range, but goals from Adriano and Sergio Busquets put Barcelona ahead at the break.
Atletico continued to push in the second period, but Lionel Messi hit another brace to secure all the points for the Catalan outfit.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics:
Barcelona
Shots 8
On target 6
Possession 75%
Corners 9
Fouls 15
Atletico Madrid
Shots 5
On target 1
Possession 25%
Corners 5
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
Without question. Atletico opened the scoring with their only effort on target this evening and they were second best for the entirety of the match. It wasn't as if Barcelona created a heap of chances, but they were incisive and took their opportunities. If they do not secure the Spanish title from this position then it will be the biggest collapse of all time.
Barcelona's performance
8/10. Incisive and confident. Those are words that would describe Barcelona this evening. They were put under pressure when the away side opened the scoring, but they never panicked for one moment and took a lead into the interval. Meanwhile, Messi has now scored a brace in each of his last six league games and has 90 for the year.
Atletico Madrid's performance
6/10. Atletico promised so much after taking the lead in the Nou Camp, but the way they suffocated Barcelona in the early stages became harder after they fell behind. It is difficult to criticise them this evening, they just came up against maybe the best team that has ever played the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Adriano: Aside from his goal, which was worthy of winning any match, the Brazilian defender was simply stunning this evening. He defended and attacked in equal measure and was the star of the show.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Step forward Diego Godin. As if Messi needs any help to score these days, but the defender presented the Argentine with the ball inside the Atletico penalty area and Messi lifted over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Referee performance
Miguel Perez would have been pleased with his 90 minutes of action this evening. The Spaniard was sensitive to the occasion and therefore allowed the match to flow in the correct areas. Neither team will have had any complaints about his performance.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will attempt to continue their sensational winning run when they travel to Real Valladolid next Saturday in their final match before the winter break.
Atletico Madrid: Atletico will look to bounce back with three points when they host Celta Vigo in their final league match before the winter break next Friday.
Matt Law
