Lionel Messi continued his stellar play as he led FC Barcelona to a strong 4-1 win over Getafe.
The win saw the Tito Vilanova squad dominate the match with over 65 percent of possession and by keeping the opposition at bay.
Barcelona started with a lineup that included Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Cales Puyol, Martin Montoya, Adriano, Xavi, Thiago, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, and Cristian Tello. Lionel Messi was not in the lineup, but that was likely due to the fact that he played two games in the past week for Argentina.
Getafe counted with Miguel Moya, Alexis, Miguel Torres, Alberto Lopo, Valera, Pedro Leon, Diego Castro, Michel, Xavi Torres, Adrian Colunga, and Abdelaziz Barrada.
Adriano got the festivities started in the 32nd minute when Adriano gave Barcelona a 1-0 lead. He took a Cesc Fabregas pass to the center of the box and rifled one into the center of the goal. It was his second goal of the season and second goal in two straight matches.
The second half saw Getafe continue their defensive work, but Pedro drew a penalty off a Juan Valera foul. Lionel Messi converted the penalty to score his fifth goal of the season. But the Messi magic was not quite finished as the diminutive striker added a second goal just four minutes later in the 78th to extend the lead to three.
Then the lone blemish to an otherwise perfect match came when Javier Mascherano scored into his own goal to close the lead to 3-1. But Barca restored the three goal cushion off a stoppage time goal from substitute David Villa. It was his second goal of the season.
The win gives Barcelona their fourth win of the season and they continue their perfect play thus far this season. Next up is a date with Granada on Saturday September 22 at 4 PM ET. Getafe gets Celta Vigo on that same day at 12 PM ET.