KING LUIS Suarez rules over Alaves
LUIS SUAREZ provided a goal and three assists as Barcelona opened up a three-point gap at the top of La Liga after crushing Alaves at the Nou Camp.
The Uruguay international set up Antoine Griezmann and Arturo Vidal (right) in the first half before assisting Lionel Messi – who scored his 50th goal of 2019 – as Barcelona ended the year unbeaten at home.
He added a penalty after 75 minutes with Pere Pons replying for a consolation for Alaves.
Barca are most likely to be at the summit until the end of the year as they hold a threepoint and five-goal advantage over nearest rivals Real Madrid, who play Athletic Bilbao tonight.
Griezmann said: “We wanted to score a goal before them and make it fast to get the rhythm of the game to how we like it.
“We set the pace and they were good in defence.
“We played two days ago (against Real Madrid) and our legs were a bit tired. We had a good game and now it’s time to rest.
“We haven’t touched our ceiling. I am going on my
Barcelona 4 Alaves 1
holidays very happy now.” Messi fired blanks in El Clasico less than 72 hours earlier, but his latest strike means he has reached that half-century landmark in nine of the past 10 years.
He is also set to finish as Europe’s top goalscorer in 2019 with 34 goals in 32 La Liga games to leave him five clear of anyone else yet to play.
Griezmann added: “Messi is the best in the world. We have a great squad and the best player.
“When the team need a push, Messi appears.”