Ferran Torres scored a first-half hat-trick as Barcelona beat Real Betis this night.
Torres, chosen within the quantity 9 position forward of Robert Lewandowski, took his alternative with each palms with an excellent treble to place Barca within the driving seat after Antony had given Betis an early lead.
The Spain striker will take the headlines however credit score should additionally go to Roony Bardghji, who was sensational, scoring one and enjoying a component in two extra on a uncommon begin.
Lamine Yamal was additionally on the scoresheet with a second-half penalty to assist transfer Barca four points clear of Real Madrid, who host Celta Vigo tomorrow.
Diego Llorente and Cucho Hernandez scored late on however it wasn’t sufficient.
Antony stuns Barcelona with opener
There was little signal of what was to return when Antony fired Betis forward inside seven minutes. Hernandez and Pablo Fornals each had efforts earlier than the ball fell properly for the Brazilian to swivel and shoot previous Joan Garcia.
The lead lasted simply 5 minutes earlier than Barca hit again. Bardghji slipped within the overlapping Jules Kounde and his cross was turned in by Torres on the close to put up.
It was a slick transfer and the Catalans had been at it once more after 14 minutes with Bardghji, who was making simply his third league begin, once more instrumental. It was the younger Sweden worldwide who equipped the cross this time and Torres once more made no mistake with an acrobatic effort that flew previous Alvaro Valles.
Bardghji received his title on the scoresheet shortly after the half-hour mark, working on to Pedri’s pleasant by way of ball and ending fantastically together with his proper foot.
Betis appeared completely shellshocked they usually conceded once more 4 minutes earlier than the break.
Pedri received one other help by enjoying the ball to Torres and his shot took a depraved deflection on its method in for the Spain worldwide’s career-best eleventh league objective of the season.
He may have had a twelfth shortly after however was denied by Valles earlier than Betis rallied barely earlier than the break. Hernandez nearly transformed Aitor Ruibal’s cross and Ruibal himself ended the half by firing in a shot that hit the sidenetting with Joan Garcia scrambling throughout his line.
Yamal grabs Barcelona’s fifth
Betis wanted a fast response after the break in the event that they had been to discover a route again into the sport however Antony wasted their greatest alternative, capturing weakly at Joan Garcia after being despatched by way of by Nelson Deossa.
The hosts’ problem was ended after 55 minutes when Marcus Rashford’s shot struck former Barca defender Marc Bartra on the arm and the referee, having been despatched to the pitchside monitor, awarded the penalty which Yamal transformed coolly.
Torres practically added his fourth, failing narrowly to transform Yamal’s low cross, earlier than Betis had an effort dominated out with Pablo Garcia adjudged to have been offside after changing Hernandez’s cross.
Llorente prodded residence from a nook and Hernandez transformed a late penalty, awarded after a pointless sort out by Kounde, as Barca held on.
