Barcelona, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Barcelona maintained its four-point lead at the top of the La Liga table on Wednesday by claiming a 4-0 victory over Almeria at Camp Nou.
The Catalans went in front after 33 minutes when Lionel Messi cut inside from the right flank and curled a superb effort just inside the post with his left foot.
Luis Suarez doubled the advantage in similar fashion in the 55th minute, darting to the edge of the box before hammering a left-footed strike into the far upper corner.
Marc Bartra made the most of a rare appearance, getting on the scoresheet in the 75th minute by heading home a corner kick for Barcelona's third of the contest.
Suarez then wrapped up the affair in the dying stages, capping a fast break by steering home a square pass from Pedro to complete his brace.
Barcelona improves to 74 points on the season, keeping the club four points clear of second-place Real Madrid following its 2-0 defeat of Rayo Vallecano at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas on Wednesday.
The visitors were made to wait until the second half for the opener as Cristiano Ronaldo finally broke the seal of the net in the 68th minute.
Madrid's lead was doubled just six minutes later as James Rodriguez bagged his first goal after returning from injury.
Florin Andone enjoyed a roller coaster of emotions at the Riazor on Wednesday, granting Cordoba the lead in the 55th minute before ultimately conceding a late own goal that gifted Deportivo a point from a 1-1 draw.
Rounding out Wednesday's La Liga slate, Granada squandered a late lead to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo.
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