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Barcelona 6 - 1 Rayo Vallecano : Lionel Messi hat trick sees Barcelona top of La Liga

Lionel Messi scored a record-breaking 24th Primera Division hat trick and Luis Suarez hit a brace as Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 6-1 at the Camp Nou to return to the top of the table in emphatic style.

The Uruguayan got the ball rolling with an early goal and Gerard Pique doubled the lead shortly after the break, before Messi scored a treble inside 12 minutes which took him one hat trick clear of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Both sides had their right-backs sent off, with Tito getting two yellow cards for Rayo and Dani Alves getting a straight red for bringing down Alberto Bueno, who scored a consolation goal for the visitors, only for Suarez to pounce again in stoppage-time.

This was a merciless performance from Luis Enrique's side, who go one point clear at the top of the table after Real Madrid lost at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, reclaiming top spot for the first time in 2015.

And Messi's hat-trick -- his sixth of the season -- takes him level with Ronaldo at the top of the league's scoring charts with 30 goals from 25 starts.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)