Barcelona absolutely had to beat Sevilla if they were to stay in the title race.

The Blaugrana are now top of La Liga by a point, though Real Madrid still have two games in hand over their great rivals.

Barca made sure they stayed right in contention with a resounding 3-0 win at the Nou Camp and it included all the moments of individual brilliance we've come to expect.

On his return from suspension, it was Lionel Messi who grabbed the headlines with a brace.

The Argentine finished coolly in the 28th minute and then doubled his tally with a volley just a few minutes later.

He also played a hand in Luis Suarez's opener, but the Uruguayan needs to take full credit for the goal.

The Sevilla game pretty much sums up what it's like at Barca for the former Liverpool man. Notice how we've been talking about Messi?

What a hit 

This is how it works. Suarez establishes himself as quite possibly the best number nine on the planet, scores a worldie, and then either Messi or Neymar upstages him.

Nothing should take away from this moment of brilliance:

The defender was maybe a bit unlucky that the ball deflected off him, but the goalkeeper was never getting anywhere near that.

Reflecting on the goal, Suarez was quoted by the Daily Mail:

"A striker always has an idea of where the goal is. I didn't have another alternative because the ball was in the air. I just went for it."

As for Sevilla, it's pretty apt that they were beaten in such a manner.

Enrique delighted 

If they weren't already out of the title race, they are now, as they haven't really been on the same level as Barca and Madrid this season.

Luis Enrique announced earlier this week that he'll be taking a year's holiday when he leaves Catalonia at the end of the season. If we're honest, managing Barcelona doesn't look all that stressful right now, but that's up to him.

The manager was still delighted with his team's performance.

"The first half was spectacular," he told reporters.

"Sevilla never threatened us. In the end we lost some of the control of the match, but I'm very satisfied."

Is Suarez the best number nine in the world? Have your say in the comments.