It seemed it would not matter much after Lionel Messi struck early and Andre Gomes extended the lead before half-time.

However, the decision might have been briefly questioned when Roberto Torres pulled a goal back at the start of the second half.

But Gomes and Messi both got their second goals of the evening either side of the hour mark to put the game to bed and Paco Alcacer and Javier Mascherano, the latter from the penalty spot, quickly added gloss to the scoreline with just 67 minutes on the clock.

Alcacer became the third player to net a double with four minutes remaining.

It was an emphatic scoreline to further increase confidence on the back of Sunday's El Clasico win over Real at the Bernabeu, although Zinedine Zidane's side get the chance to respond and close the gap when they travel to Deportivo La Coruna in Wednesday's late game.

It got worse for Osasuna as shortly after their heavy loss their relegation was confirmed by Leganes 3-0 home win over Las Palmas.

A second-half double from Luciano Neves, the second from the penalty spot, either side of Miguel Guerrero's goal saw Leganes halt a four-game losing run and win for the first time in eight league matches.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad kept alive their hopes of European football with a 3-2 victory at Valencia.

Diego Alves' first-minute own goal, a Willian Jose penalty and a Mikel Oyarzabal strike had Sociedad firmly in control at the midway point of the second half but quick-fire goals from Luis Nani, a penalty, and Simone Zaza set up a tense finale at the Mestalla.

Sociedad are up to sixth in the table after a third win in four games while Valencia are now without a win in three.