Barcelona heaped more misery on Elche with a 6-0 win over the struggling La Liga side on Saturday.

Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi (two), Neymar (two) and Pedro were all on the scoresheet for the away team, who are now just one point behind the league leaders Real Madrid in the table.

Elche, who had Faycal Fajr sent off in the second period, are now just one point outside of the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics

ELCHE
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 28%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 18

BARCA
Shots: 12
On target: 8
Possession: 72%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?

A 6-0 Barca win is a little harsh on Elche, with the away side collapsing in the latter stages. There is no question that Barca deserved to claim all three points, but the score became more comprehensive in the final 20 minutes following Fajr's red card. There was not really a single period of the match where Elche looked capable of causing a shock and when Pique opened the scoring after 35 minutes, it was effectively game over. That said, the Elche supporters will be disappointed with their team's second-half showing.

Messi's first, which came from the penalty spot, put daylight between the two teams and a 2-0 or 3-0 final score would have been just about right. Elche's defending late on was terrible, but credit must be given to Messi and Neymar, who took full advantage in the final 20 minutes. Neymar helped himself to two goals from two Messi assists, before the Brazilian set up Pedro for number six late on.

Elche's performance

Elche must be sick of the sight of Barcelona. They have not beaten the Catalan outfit in the league since 1974, while they have already been dumped out of the Copa del Rey with a 9-0 aggregate defeat to Luis Enrique's side this season. That said, the home side actually started the match quite well. Their main threat, as it has been all season, came from Cristian Jonathas, but the Brazilian found it difficult as the first half progressed. Poor defending contributed to Barca's opener and it was downhill from that moment.

It was always going to be the type of match where Elche needed to score first, but when that did not occur, it proved a tough task. Defensively, the hosts just could not live with the quality of Messi and Neymar, who came to the forefront in the latter stages. Their task was not made easier when Fajr was sent from the field just before the hour, and the final 30 minutes were extremely difficult. The result has left Elche teetering just outside the drop zone and they will be keen to move on quickly from another Barca mauling.

Barca's performance

Barca have had their problems this season, but a corner does appear to have been turned. Since losing to Real Sociedad in their first match after the winter break, the Catalan outfit have been just excellent. It took a bit of time for Barca to warm to their task, but a 1-0 lead at the interval gave Enrique's side the perfect platform from which to build. Their first-half performance was professional, but their second-half performance was stunning. Elche just could not live with the quality of the away side.

It was a fairly straightforward match for Barca's defenders and indeed goalkeeper, which meant that the players further forward had to perform. There was no Luis Suarez, with the striker rested ahead of the Copa del Rey clash with Atletico Madrid next week, but it was still a strong XI. Rafinha and Xavi, who both came into the midfield, were brilliant, while Neymar and Messi's relationship was there for all to see late on. Messi, like Barca, has had his problems this season, but the Argentine looks back to his best. In this form, he is simply unstoppable, no matter the opposition.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Lionel Messi: Neymar is a shade unfortunate not to gain this accolade after scoring twice and providing a late assist, but Messi was again the man of the match for the Catalan outfit. The Argentine scored his first from the penalty spot, before setting up Neymar for the Brazilian's double. Messi then completed his brace after 88 minutes with an arrowing effort into the bottom corner. He was wonderful.

Biggest gaffe

Elche will remember this match not too fondly for a number of reasons, but the first goal at least was avoidable. Elche were still setting up their wall when Barca took a quick free kick and Pique was on hand to smash home. Barca do not need a helping hand, but the way that the home side switched off caused their own problems. It was the type of mistake that simply cannot be allowed to happen at this level.

Referee performance

Referee Clos Gomez certainly had a busy first half - issuing five yellow cards, all of which were awarded to Elche. He did the home side a favour in the second period, however, in the award of Barca's penalty. It was a clear spot kick, but Gomez chose not to send Sergio Pelegrin from the field for a poor challenge on Neymar despite the centre-back already having a yellow card to his name.

Elche were reduced to 10 men two minutes later, however, when Fajr picked up his second booking for a poor challenge. Gomez had plenty to deal with, but there were no real contentious decisions. Red cards and penalties have been the order of the day in La Liga this weekend.

What next?

Elche: Elche will attempt to return to winning ways when they travel to fellow La Liga strugglers Granada next Saturday.

Barca: On Wednesday, the Catalan outfit travel to Atletico Madrid for the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final - holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg. Their next league match is at home to Villarreal on February 1.