Watch: Messi, Suarez, Neymar lead Barcelona's blitz of Sporting Gijon
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all scored in the same game for the 20th time at Barcelona, which routed Sporting Gijon 6-1 in midweek La Liga play.
Messi, whose late heroics brought Barcelona a key 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid over the weekend, didn't take long to get back on the board when turning in a nonchalant header over an onrushing goalkeeper to open the scoring early at Camp Nou.
It was a full Argentine combination, with Javier Mascherano serving a ball forward for Messi, who elected to nod the ball over Pichu Cuellar in the ninth minute.
Messi's goal was followed shortly after by an own goal on Juan Rodriguez caused by Suarez, who got in behind Gijon's defense and hit his chance from a left-sided angle across the goal mouth, where it was turned in by Rodriguez in the 11th minute.
Sporting Gijon didn't cower after suffering the early deficit, with Carlos Castro tapping in from the goal line to make it 2-1 in the 21st minute.
But Suarez got one of his own five minutes later to restore the two-goal edge. After a poor clearance that looped right to the unmarked Uruguayan, he unleashed a volley with perfect technique, ripping one into the back of the net to make it 3-1.
The lead grew to 4-1 after the halftime break, as Paco Alcacer, who entered at halftime for Suarez, netted his second league goal of the season after a slick set-up from Messi.
The exclamation point came via Neymar, who dispatched a sensational, curling free kick into the upper right-hand corner from a right-sided angle to make it 5-1.
Ivan Rakitic, fresh off an appearance on the Planet Futbol Podcast, polished off the rout with a late goal to make it 6-1.
With Real Madrid drawing against Las Palmas, Barcelona ended the day atop La Liga's table, leading Real by a point. Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. have a game in hand, though.
