Suarez is La Liga's top scorer with 23 goals in 22 matches this season
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez combined to score an audacious penalty as La Liga leaders Barcelona thrashed Celta Vigo to move three points clear.
With Barca leading 3-1, Messi nudged the spot-kick forward and to his right for Suarez to run into the area and side-foot in to complete his hat-trick.
Messi opened the scoring with a sublime free-kick before Celta striker John Guidetti drilled in a penalty to level.
After Suarez's second-half treble, Ivan Rakitic and Neymar sealed the rout.
The defending champions still have a game in hand on nearest rivals Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid four points adrift of Barca in third.
Relive Barca's entertaining win against Celta
How the penalty unfolded
Penalty-taker Lionel Messi gives Celta keeper Sergio Alvarez 'the eyes', looking goalwards but passing the ball to the right...
...but Luis Suarez knows what Messi is up to, beginning his run behind his team-mate...
Sure enough, Suarez arrives quickly on the scene to calmly side-foot into the Celta net....
And, to the shock of almost everybody in the Nou Camp (including team-mate Ivan Rakitic), Suarez completes his hat-trick in the most unusual of styles
Stylish Barca extend unbeaten run
Barcelona had not been beaten in 29 previous matches in all competitions before the visit of a Celta team which had won two of the past three meetings between the sides.
Celta, who Luis Enrique left to manage Barca in May 2014, earned a surprise 1-0 win at the Nou Camp last season and thrashed their former boss's side in a 4-1 home success in September.
And they will have been quietly confident of causing another upset as they held their hosts 1-1 at the break.
Barca failed to find their rhythm in the first half, giving no indication to the virtually silent home supporters of what excitement would unfold in the second half.
Suarez clipped in Messi's pass to put Barca back in front just before the hour and bundled in Neymar's cross on the goal-line for his second.
The Uruguay striker completed a 22-minute hat-trick by converting Messi's audacious penalty, before substitute Rakitic's lob and Neymar's cool finish extended their unbeaten run to 30 matches.
Selfless Messi delays landmark goal
If Messi had converted the penalty, it would have been his 300th La Liga goal for Barcelona.
But did his selfless act in teeing up Suarez mean that he would gain an unwanted statistic - another 'missed' penalty?
It was a tongue-in-cheek question posed by former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde on Twitter, where it was spread to a wider audience by Guardian football writer Sid Lowe.
"Messi goes down as having a penalty not scored and an assist," confirmed football statisticians Opta.
Was it meant for Neymar and not Suarez?
That's what Brazil forward Neymar claimed afterwards.
"We practised the penalty - it was for me, but Luis was closer and scored," he said. "It doesn't matter, he scored so it worked well.
"We love each other a lot and that friendship is the most important thing, no matter who scores the goals."
Neymar (right) appeared to chase after Messi's pass - but Suarez reached it first
I would have trodden on the ball - Luis Enrique
The penalty evoked memories of when Barca legend Johan Cruyff played a one-two with Ajax team-mate Jesper Olsen to score from the spot in 1982, plus a less successful attempt by Arsenal pair Robert Pires and Thierry Henry in 2005.
"We all remember Cruyff's goal," said Barca boss Luis Enrique. "I wouldn't dare to do it because I would tread on the ball.
"Some will like it, some won't, but as Barca players and members of the club, on top of winning titles we try to enjoy our football in a spectacular way."
Atletico stay in touch
Second-placed Atletico Madrid briefly moved level with Barcelona following a 1-0 win at Getafe earlier on Sunday.
Spain striker Fernando Torres tapped in Yannick Carrasco's low cross from the left after 61 seconds - and that proved enough for the visitors.
Diego Simeone's team moved back into second at the expense of Real, who host their neighbours at the Bernabeu on 27 February.
Torres has scored two goals in his past two matches, taking his tally to four in 18 Liga matches this season
Yesterday, Barcelona football star Lionel Messi made a risky pass from the penalty spot to , setting up the completion of a Suárez hat-trick against , and Barça defeated them 6–1 in a La Liga match at . Suárez climbed to the top spot for La Liga this season, scoring 23 goals, and FC Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 30 games in all competitions. By passing to Suárez, Messi missed an opportunity to attempt his 300th goal in the Liga.
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The match saw four , all for the Celta Vigo players. Barça had eleven shots on target as compared to Vigo's four.  was the first booked in the game in the eleventh minute.

Messi opened the scoring for the Catalans in the 28th minute.  was booked for a bad foul, and Messi won a free-kick, which he successfully converted into the goal, scoring his 299th goal in La Liga games. About ten minutes later,  brought down Swedish striker  in the penalty area, and the visitors got a chance to equalise from penalty. Guidetti scored from the penalty spot making the score 1–1 before the half time.  was booked in the 42nd minute. The first half ended 1–1 with three bookings in 45 minutes.

Messi in the 59th mminute assisted Suárez via a , as the Uruguayan scored the team's second goal and Barcelona were leading again. Two substitutions were made in the 61st minute for the home side.  came for  and  was replaced by . Celta made a change in the 65th minute as  was subbed-in for .

's shot in the 75th minute was blocked, assist from Messi, but Suárez netted his second of the night and Barcelona were 3–1 up. The 78th minute saw two substitutions.  replaced Guidetti, and  came for .

Messi was fouled around the 81st minute in the penalty area, and won a penalty kick. The Argentine passed from the spot, and Suárez completed his hat-trick. A similar type of goal was scored by the Dutch legend  playing for  in 1982.

Rakitić scored the fifth goal in the 84th minute from a through ball assist from Suárez, just a minute later after  was subbed off . In the , Neymar netted a goal, assist from Suárez. The match ended 6–1.

After the match, Barcelona manager  said "There will be those who like it and those who don't ... You can take a penalty like that, it's legal and there's a Cruyff penalty we all know."

A similar penalty attempt by  for Arsenal F.C. in 2005 did not work out.


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