Barcelona made it seven wins from seven games as Lionel Messi netted another brace during a convincing 3-0 win over Las Palmas in front of an empty crowd at the Camp Nou.
The day was dominated by events off the field as fans were left in limbo outside the ground as to whether the game would actually take place following protests in Barcelona surrounding Catalonia's independent referendum.
The Spanish giants released a statement shortly before kick-off saying they asked for the game to be called off but it was rejected by the Professional Football League and would stage the match behind closed doors.
When the action finally got underway, Barca certainly had to be patient and were lucky not to fall behind when former West Ham striker Jonathan Calleri stuck his shot against the post.
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| Sergio Busquets broke the deadlock for the home side (Image: AFP) |
But the home side made them pay as Sergio Busquets headed them into the lead on 49 minutes to celebrate his first goal since 2014.
Messi doubled the lead on 70 minutes when he was put through on goal by Denis Suarez and made no mistake taking the ball around Las Palmas keeper Chichizola before slotting the ball into the back of the net.
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| Fans not allowed in for the La Liga game (Image: REUTERS) |
The Argentine superstar added his second of the game on when he raced on to a through ball from Luis Suarez and slotted the ball into the corner of the net.
The victory moved Barcelona clear of Sevilla at the top of La Liga and showed they mean business once again.
Here is how all the action unfolded.....
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