Barcelona thumped Villarreal 4-1 to stay top of the LaLiga table.

Lionel Messi created the opening goal for Neymar and netted himself with a deflected strike and a late penalty as Barcelona moved three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Messi's first cancelled out Cedric Bakambu's equaliser, while his second rounded off the scoring, with Luis Suarez having given the hosts a two-goal cushion.

"Neymar has a totally different interpretation of football from anyone, even to any Brazilian," coach Luis Enrique said to reporters in his post-match press conference.

"Most dribbles he does not give me time to see them, it's a great pleasure to watch.

"It makes Neymar, who often looks more like ballet dancer than a football player, effective."

The coach was also impressed with Barcelona's attacking verve throughout the 90 minutes.

"The team was very good with and without a ball" he continued.

"Scoring 4 goals against Villarreal indicates how well we have handled the pressure and we played a complete match against a great team."