Barcelona thumped Almeria to claw back Real Madrid's lead at the top of the table.
Barcelona closed to within a point of Primera Division leaders Real Madrid after an emphatic, if not always totally convincing, 4-1 victory over Almeria at the Nou Camp.
Alexis Sanchez set the hosts on their way in the 10th minute before a superb Lionel Messi free-kick made it 2-0 inside 25 minutes.
A moment's sloppiness in the Barca backline allowed Angel Trujillo to pull one back for Almeria and at 2-1 Barca endured more than one or two nervy moments as the visitors probed for a leveller.
It took until the 83rd minute for Barcelona to finally put the contest to bed, Carles Puyol following up with a smart finish after Messi's header had come back off the bar, while there was still time for Xavi to inflate the scoreline further with a sumptuous fourth.
Barca assistant coach Jorge Pautasso said: "The first half was impeccable, we constantly created chances, and we did well to recovered possession. We had 10 clear chances to score, but in the second half we lacked depth, despite having the ball. In the end, however, we closed out the game. The goal margin we won by is justified."
