Lionel Messi grabbed his 100th Barcelona goal as Pep Guardiola's
side went some way to overcoming this week's Copa del Rey exit at
the hands of Sevilla as they beat the Andalusians 4-0 in the sides'
league meeting at the Nou Camp.
Sevilla keeper Andres Palop was the hero on Wednesday night as
Barca failed to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the home leg and crashed
out of the competition on the away-goals rule.
And Palop proved a thorn in Barca's side once again in this match,
but the Catalans' superiority saw them through on the night and
the win was resounding in the end.
They needed some help from the visitors, though, and it was Sevilla
defender Julien Escude who gave Barca the lead, when he deflected
Gerard Pique's shot into his own net shortly after the break.
Pedro's 14th goal of the season gave the league leaders a cushion
with 20 minutes left and Lionel Messi wrapped up a comfortable win
with two strikes late on as Guardiola's men moved five points clear
at the top of the table.
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