Messi bags hat-trick as Barcelona blast Levante; Atleti shocked by Celta Vigo

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in his 300th Primera Division match as Barcelona thumped Levante 5-0 on Sunday.

Neymar opened the scoring, with Messi adding the second in the 38th minute as Barcelona looked totally comfortable against their lowly opponents.

The Argentina striker added his second and Barcelona's third in the 59th minute as Luis Enrique's side continued to dominate the match.

Messi then completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 65th minute before Luis Suarez added the gloss with a fifth goal courtesy of a bicycle kick.

The win means Barcelona are now back to within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who defeated Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 on Saturday.

Celta Vigo stunned Atletico Madrid to bring the champions back down to earth after last week's demolition of Real Madrid, winning 2-0 at Balaidos thanks to two second-half goals.

Nolito converted a hotly-contested penalty in the 58th minute and Fabian Orellana then sealed the points for the Galicians with a thumping drive.

The defeat means Diego Simeone's side are in the same position as before their dream derby win -- third in the Primera Division and seven points behind Carlo Ancelotti's side -- while Celta put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone and moved up to ninth in the table.

- La Liga Table

Valencia moved back into the top four after an uninspiring 1-0 victory over Getafe.

Alvaro Negredo's 72nd-minute penalty gave Los Che the points which move them back above Sevilla and just three points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid, who play at Celta Vigo later on Sunday.

It was not a performance to strike fear into the hearts of their rivals, though, as the home side were for large spells thwarted by their opponents, who remain 15th following the defeat.

Second half goals from Alberto Bueno and Gael Kakuta saw Rayo Vallecano beat Villarreal 2-0 to pick up their first home victory in almost three months.

The win brought a welcome end to a three game losing streak for the Madrid outfit, widening the gap between them and the relegation zone to seven points.