On a big night for Lionel Messi, he took centre stage as Barcelona claimed a 4-1 win over Huesca to turn up the heat on Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Messi equalled Xavi’s appearance record of 767 games for the club and marked the occasion with a tremendous opening goal. After Antoine Griezmann had added to Barca’s tally, Messi created Oscar Mingueza’s first for the club, which sealed the points.
Messi got a fourth late on for good measure.
It was another virtuoso performance from Messi, who has his Barcelona team within four points of top spot now.
Here’s how the night unfolded…
Barcelona 4-1 Huesca: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
📷 Lionel Messi: Match Snapshot
⚽ ⏱️ 13' If there were any nerves in the Barcelona ranks, they were soon forgotten as Messi opened the scoring with a blistering shot. Messi was driving towards the box and was given a couple of yards to shoot, and he made the most of it, picking out the top corner. It was a goal reminiscent of his effort against PSG last week.
A ⏱️ 53' With the game 2-1 in favour of Barca, Messi played his role in taking it away from Huesca again. After a corner was played short, he was given too much time to pick out a cross. He did so perfectly, delivering for Mingueza to head home.
⚽ ⏱️ 90' Messi receives a pass from Pedri and charges in from the right wing. As he approaches the edge of the box, he sends a fine shot into the corner of the net.
〽️ Lionel Messi: Rating Week-on-Week
✔ IMPROVEMENT
At some point a drop off in Messi’s form must come. He has been regularly scoring high marks, but if anything his performances are getting better. Against Huesca, he recorded a perfect 10 FC Rating. It was his fourth score of 9 or above in his last six games.
By his incredible standards, this was a run-of-the-mill performance.
🗝️ Key Stats
Messi match stats
| Statistic | Value | Notes |
| FC Rating | 10 | Man of the Match |
| Mins Played | 90 | |
| Goals | 2 | |
| Assists | 1 | |
| Shots | 6 | Rank #1 |
| Shots on target | 2 | |
| Touches | 120 | Rank #2 |
| Final third passes | 48 | Rank #1 |
| Big chances created | 1 | |
| Dribbles | 5 | Rank #1 |
Messi: What Next?
With their interest in Europe and the cup over, Barcelona’s schedule will be relatively light between now and the end of the season. Messi should, therefore, have plenty of energy for the challenges that lie ahead.
The next one arrives on Sunday with a clash against Real Sociedad away from home. Then comes the international break, which will be a welcome week off for Messi as South American World Cup qualifiers have been postponed due to the Covid-19 situation in the region.
Barcelona 4-1 Huesca: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
Lionel Messi 
Barcelona 
