Dubai: Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann each scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Granada 4-0 away from home on Saturday to win a third consecutive La Liga game for the first time this season.
Griezmann opened the scoring in the 12th minute while Messi struck twice before the break to make it four goals in his last two matches and go top of the league's scoring charts with 11 goals.
French forward Griezmann scored a classy second goal after halftime while things got worse for Granada when Jesus Vallejo was sent off in the 78th minute for clattering into Barca substitute Martin Braithwaite.
The victory took Barca back into third place in the standings and on to 34 points, closing the gap with leaders Atletico Madrid to four points. However, Atletico, whose game with Athletic Bilbao was postponed due to heavy snow in the Spanish capital, have three matches in hand.
