Atletico lost Tiago, who suffered a leg fracture after 33 minutes having attempted to tackle Marco Asensio, but remained in control and created chances to increase their lead in the second half, with Diego Godin heading against a post and then, with just three minutes left, a Koke shot also striking the woodwork.
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However, speaking after the win over Sociedad, Neymar said: “I still have some years left on my contract and my father has already spoken about my future”.
This is something manager Luis Enrique is proud of regarding the victory against the team he describes as their “eternal rivals”.
Third-paced Real Madrid, which plays sixth-placed Eibar on Sunday, is five points further back in the standings.
It was the Argentina forward’s third goal in two starts since suffering a knee injury in a 2-1 win over Las Palmas on 26 September. Yet despite his knowledge of Barca as a former player, assistant and youth team coach he was unable to do anything to head off Real’s 19th straight defeat at the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi marked his first start for the club in two months by netting a brace, with Luis Suarez (2), Gerard Pique and Adriano completing the rout.
Luis Enrique’s side dominated their lowly opponents, Suarez’s acrobatic finish the highlight of a clinical team performance.
Messi is delighted to be back playing football once again and is even more pleased to be partnering Neymar and Suarez up front.
Barcelona kept arriving on both flanks and Dani Alves was played through by Messi to square the ball for Neymar, who beat his marker and stabbed Barcelona’s first goal into the top of the net. He is also Barca’s top scorer with 18 goals in 20 matches in all competitions, only surpassed by Neymar in terms of league strikes.
Iniesta, who was applauded off the pitch by Real Madrid fans following last week’s majestic display, spotted the overlapping Mathieu and slipped the ball into the path of the Frenchman, who sent in a low sweeping pass across the box for Neymar to turn in.
La Real were unable to keep up their high pressing game early in the second half and it was not long before they conceded again.
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Malaga, which has scored in only three of 13 matches this season, rose into second-to-last place ahead of new bottom side Levante.
