Messi darts into the box and hits a left‑footed shot from the centre of the area, but Álvarez saves it in the middle of his goal after a pass from Jordi Alba.

Messi levels the score with a composed left‑footed finish from the centre of the box to the middle of the net, running onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Iniesta.

Messi takes a left‑footed shot from the centre of the box after combining with Neymar, but his effort is blocked by the Espanyol defence.

Messi threads a through ball into space for Neymar after a probing move, but the Brazilian is flagged offside as he runs in behind.

Driving through the attacking half, Messi draws a foul from Espanyol and wins a dangerous free kick just outside the area.

From the resulting free kick, Messi curls a stunning left‑footed shot into the top‑right corner, giving Barcelona a 2–1 lead.

Messi’s delivery following a corner finds Gerard Piqué in front of goal, and Piqué taps in from close range to make it 3–1.

Messi times a run in behind for Arda Turan’s through ball, but his break is halted by the offside flag.

Messi again looks to unlock Espanyol with a through ball for Neymar, but the move is cut short as Neymar is ruled offside.

Busquets spots Messi’s run and slides a through pass towards him, yet Messi is caught offside by the Espanyol back line.

From outside the box, Messi unleashes a left‑footed strike after receiving the ball from Busquets, with the shot whistling just wide of the left post.

Messi finds space very close to goal and fires left‑footed from point‑blank range following a pass from Neymar, but his effort goes wide to the left.

Messi sets up Arda Turan in the right side of the box, but Turan’s right‑footed shot towards the bottom‑right corner is saved by Álvarez.

Messi commits a foul while challenging for the ball, temporarily halting Barcelona’s momentum.

Surging through Espanyol territory, Messi is fouled again and wins another free kick in a promising attacking position.

Messi drives at the defence and draws yet another foul, earning Barcelona a further free kick in the attacking half.

From distance, Messi hits a powerful left‑footed shot that is heading towards the top‑right corner, but Álvarez reacts to make the save.

Messi is shown a yellow card, adding a caution to his otherwise dominant performance.

Messi slices open the defence with a precise through ball to Neymar, who runs through the centre of the box and finishes right‑footed into the bottom‑right corner for Barcelona’s fourth.