Barcelona dominated Real Sociedad with a commanding 4-0 victory on Sunday, reclaiming the top spot in La Liga.
Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Ronald Araujo, and Robert Lewandowski each found the net, propelling Barcelona one point ahead of Atletico Madrid in the standings.
Real Madrid, now in third place, sits three points adrift after falling 2-1 to Real Betis on Saturday. Atletico had earlier edged out Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home.
Sociedad’s task became even tougher when Aritz Elustondo received a straight red card in the 17th minute for pulling down Dani Olmo to prevent a breakaway.
With a numerical advantage, Barcelona took full control at Montjuïc stadium, with Martín opening the scoring in the 25th minute, followed by Casadó just four minutes later.
Araujo extended the lead in the 56th, and Lewandowski sealed the win in the 60th, netting his eighth goal in his last nine matches.
The Polish striker has now scored 34 goals across all competitions this season, surpassing his 33-goal tally from his debut campaign with the Catalans in 2022-23.
Sociedad, also competing in the Copa del Rey semifinals alongside Barcelona, Madrid, and Atletico, failed to register a single shot on goal.
The match, however, marked a milestone for defender Hamari Traoré, who made his return after nearly six months sidelined by knee surgery.
Elsewhere in La Liga on Sunday, Diego García secured a dramatic win for 16th-placed Leganes, scoring in second-half stoppage time to edge out 14th-placed Getafe 1-0 in a Madrid-area derby.
Later in the day, Valencia had an opportunity to escape the relegation zone with a win at Osasuna.
