Neymar hit a hat-trick and Lionel Messi got two as Barcelona enjoyed a resounding 6-0 victory over Granada as they set the pace at the top of the La Liga table. Barca got back on track with the perfect response after they drew 0-0 at Malaga last Wednesday without a shot on target and they now have 16 points from six games.

Cristiano Ronaldo kept up his rich scoring form with the second goal for Real Madrid in a 2-0 win at Villarreal after Luka Modric had put them ahead. They are fourth on 12 points.

Neymar broke Granada’s stubborn resistance with a scrappy goal midway through the first half when his shot hit Jean-Sylvain Babin and looped over keeper Roberto Fernandez. Then in the run up to halftime Granada’s concentration slipped as Ivan Rakitic headed home a Messi cross and Neymar got his second.

Fernandez got to a Messi pass just ahead of Munir El Haddadi but he could only push the ball towards Neymar who knocked it into an open net. A fine move led to Dani Alves volleying a cross for Messi to head home the fourth after 65 minutes and then Neymar was on target again as he confidently picked his spot in the corner four minutes later to complete his treble.

Ronaldo Banner

Earlier, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti gave his attacking players licence to exchange position and Karim Benzema, returning to the side, picked out Ronaldo to finish clinically in the centre of the penalty area five minutes from the break. It was his 10th league goal this season. The match also witnessed a banner being flown over Villarreal’s EL Madrigal Stadium asking Ronaldo to return to Manchester United. A plane paid for by a United fan group carried a banner that read “COME HOME RONALDO – UNITED REEL.”