Barcelona took a big step toward successfully defending its Spanish league title when it fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Saturday.
lionel Messi and luis Suarez scored first-half goals to respond to Atletico's great start, when Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion netted 10 minutes into the match at the Camp Nou.
Atletico then self-destructed when Filipe luis earned a direct red card for sticking his studs into Messi's knee seconds before halftime. Diego Godin left Atletico down two men from the 65th with a second booking for a second hard foul on Suarez.
Barcelona, which has a game in hand, opened a three-point lead over second-place Atletico. Third-place Real Madrid is seven points adrift before hosting Espanyol on Sunday.
City, Arsenal win
london: Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, as the English Premier league title contenders showed their strength in depth.
Teenager Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored a hat trick as City swept past Aston Villa 4-0.
Sterling added City's fourth.
Down in north london, Alexis Sanchez scored one goal and made the other in Arsenal's 2-1 home victory over second-tier side Burnley.
Nacer Chadli scored twice as Tottenham cruised to a 4-1 victory in the early kickoff at Colchester United.
