Barça six-shooters stun Atlético

Barça six-shooters stun Atlético

Villarreal CF may have gone three points clear at the top of the Spanish Liga on Saturday night but it was FC Barcelona who stole the headlines after Josep Guardiola's team thrashed Club Atlético de Madrid 6-1 at Camp Nou.
Unstoppable

Barcelona made easy work of their fellow UEFA Champions League contenders Atlético – racing into a 3-0 lead within eight minutes of the kick-off. Rafael Márquez headed in a corner, Samuel Eto'o converted a penalty won by Lionel Messi, then Messi scored with a quickly taken free-kick. Although Maxi Rodríguez struck a fine goal from 25 metres in reply, Barcelona netted twice more in an agonising first half for visiting coach Javier Aguirre.
Icing the cake

Eto'o got the better of Tomáš Ujfaluši and Grégory Coupet to make it 4-1. Then, with just 28 minutes on the clock, Eidur Gudjohnsen smacked in the rebound after Andrés Iniesta's shot had hit the post. If the second half proved something of an anti-climax, Barcelona sealed the victory with 17 minutes left when Thierry Henry turned the ball past a beaten Coupet after fine interplay involving the Frenchman, Xavi Hernández and Bojan Krkić.
Comeback win

While that result lifted Barça into second place, Villarreal CF stayed in pole position after scoring two goals in three minutes to get the better of Real Betis Balompié at El Madrigal. Manuel Pellegrini's men were second best to Betis throughout a first half shaped by Damiá Abella's 20th-minute strike for the Seville club. However, Villarreal punished the visitors for not making more of that supremacy by taking the two chances that came their way later in the game. First, defender Gonzalo Rodríguez equalised on 68 minutes. Then, two minutes later, striker Joseba Llorente sentenced Betis to a 2-1 defeat.
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