Barcelona maintained their lead at the top of the Primera Division with a 4-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna.

Messi on target in comfortable win at Deportivo

Defending champions Barcelona maintained their lead at the top of the Primera Division with a 4-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna. After a lacklustre start at the Riazor, Barca made the breakthrough in the 26th minute when Javier Mascherano found Lionel Messi on the right and he in turn played in David Villa. Villa looked to have missed his opportunity before managing to poke the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia. Messi doubled the advantage seven minutes into the second half when he curled home a free-kick having been cynically fouled by Ruben Perez. Iniesta added the gloss with a classy, placed shot with his left foot. It was a rout when Messi played in the prolific Pedro for a nicely-chipped fourth. The win puts Barca five points clear of Real Madrid, who play Villarreal on Sunday.