Barcelona moved back into second place after thrashing local rivals Espanyol 4-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday night.Two goals from Luis Suarez and further strikes from Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi secured bragging rights for the men in red and blue stripes. Luis Enrique’s side had dropped to third place, following Sevilla’s win over Malaga, but a well-deserved victory saw the Catalan giants stay within six points of leaders Real Madrid.

Suarez opened the scoring with an expert finish after latching onto to Andres Iniesta’s inch-perfect lofted pass. And the Uruguayan doubled his tally with a tap-in as he reacted quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area. Alba got in on the act with a splendid driven effort into the bottom right corner before David Lopez pulled a goal back for the visitors with a composed finish. But Messi ensured there was no chance of dramatic comeback as he casually poked the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Diego Lopez with a cheeky finish.