BARCELONA, Spain — With a hat trick in the first 40 minutes and another goal near the end, Lionel Messi ended his worst scoreless run in six years in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Messi led Barcelona to a 5–0 rout of Eibar and put them back at the top of the standings. The victory at Camp Nou put Barcelona two points ahead of Real Madrid, which can retake the lead when it visits Levante later Saturday.
The Spanish powerhouses play their clásico in Madrid next weekend.
Barcelona's fourth league win in a row also helped ease some of the pressure on club president Josep Bartomeu who, before the match, was jeered by part of the crowd.