Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a commanding victory over Real Sociedad, who were reduced to 10 men early in the match.
Atletico Madrid had briefly taken the lead in the standings following their 1-0 win over Athletic Club on Saturday, but Hansi Flick’s side quickly restored their one-point advantage with a 4-0 triumph.
Goals from Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo, and Robert Lewandowski extended Barcelona’s winning streak to six games in the title race.
Ninth-placed Sociedad, who face Manchester United in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, March 6, had defeated Barcelona 1-0 in their last encounter in November.
However, their hopes of another upset were dashed when defender Aritz Elustondo was shown a straight red card in the 17th minute for fouling a goalbound Dani Olmo.
Barcelona capitalized on the numerical advantage just eight minutes later.
Lamine Yamal skillfully evaded his marker and combined with Olmo to set up full-back Martin, who slotted in at the back post for his first Barcelona goal.
Olmo remained central to the action, as his strike from the edge of the box deflected off Casado to double the lead four minutes later, also marking Casado’s first goal for the club.
The hosts added a third before halftime when Pedri’s long-range effort rattled the woodwork, and Ronald Araujo rose to head in Raphinha’s inswinging corner moments later.
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski completed the rout in the 60th minute, redirecting Araujo’s shot past a helpless Alex Remiro in Sociedad’s goal.
The emphatic win sees Barcelona maintain their position as league leaders, keeping them firmly in control of the title race.