PSG host relegation battling Le Havre on Saturday
Messi shines as Barca thrash Espanyol 4-0 in Catalan derby
Lionel Messi scored two spectacular free kicks as Barcelona thrashed local rivals Espanyol 4-0 in Saturday's Catalan derby to move three points clear at the top of La Liga.
Published : 8 Dec 2018, 10:04 PM
Updated : 8 Dec 2018, 10:06 PM
The champions, who started the game level with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid on 28 points, swept to victory in Cornella as Messi put on a sublime show in the week he was ranked the fifth best player in the world at Monday's Ballon d'Or awards.
The Argentine whipped a free kick into the top right corner in the 17th minute before brilliantly setting up Ousmane Dembele to double Barcelona's lead.
Luis Suarez added the third just before halftime with a shot from a tight angle that deflected in off goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Messi completed the rout with another special free kick in the 65th minute and VAR ruled out a consolation from Oscar Duarte for offside at the other end.
Espanyol's fourth consecutive league defeat left them ninth in the standings.
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