Barcelona picked up a potential defining win on Sunday afternoon as they beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to open up an eight-point gap at the top of La Liga.

The significant action of the game came in the 26th-minute as Lionel Messi struck a fabulous 25-yard free-kick which goalkeeper Jan Oblak couldn't prevent going into the back of the net.

Not only did Barca preserve their unbeaten record in La Liga this season, but Messi has now registered 24 goals and 12 assists from just 27 league matches in 2017-18.

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The Argentine has been in sublime form under new manager Ernesto Valverde, and there was one moment against Atletico where the little magician proved he can get out of any situation.

Messi's moment of magic v Atleti

Early in the contest, with the score at 0-0, Diego Simeone's men were looking to launch a break and supply the devastating in-form duo of Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann.

However, as he so often does, Barca's Sergio Busquets broke up play and passed the ball to Messi, who was immediately closed down by not one, not two, but three Atletico players.

For a split second, it appeared as though Messi didn't know what to do, but as you can see below, he had the intelligence and quality to produce mesmerising quick feet and escape all three of them.

As the replay showed, Messi held off Filipe Luis before evading Thomas Partey's challenge with a couple of magical touches and then chipping the ball over the onrushing Atleti captain Gabi.

If that wasn't enough, the 30-year-old superstar then got past Filipe's lunging recovery tackle before testing Oblak with a low drive from distance.

Fans in awe of Messi's magic

Football fans who spotted Messi's brilliant trickery and close control against Barca's nearest La Liga challengers were simply in awe of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Check out some Twitter reaction below:

Barcelona's next league assignment is at rock bottom Malaga and then they welcome Premier League champions Chelsea to the Nou Camp in the Champions League.

How good do YOU think this moment of skill was from Leo Messi? Do YOU believe he is the best player in world football? Have YOUR say in the comments box below!