Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi struck for Barcelona as they secured a vital 3-0 La Liga win at Osasuna on Saturday.
Luis Enrique’s men entered the tie at El Sadar needing a win to end a streak of three successive draws that left them six points behind Real Madrid.
After being frustrated in the first half, the visitors managed to break through after the break when Suarez opened the scoring with an easy finish.
Messi, making his 550th appearance for Barcelona, then added the second and third goals to ensure the Spanish champions halved the deficit at the top of the table.
Barca had only lost one of their last 10 meetings with Osasuna in the top flight but their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal threatened to see them concede more ground in the title race, as Suarez and Messi both spurned good chances in a first half in which the visitors dominated.
Oriol Riera and Sergio Leon came close to breaking the deadlock for Joaquin Caparros’s side, who offered stern resistance despite having claimed only seven points all season, but Messi combined brilliantly with Jordi Alba to allow Suarez to score against the 22nd different team in LaLiga just before the hour mark.
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