AFP/Madrid

Real Madrid remained just four points adrift of the leaders as Cristiano Ronaldo’s hot scoring streak continued in a 2-0 win at Villarreal.

Barca stretched their run of consecutive clean sheets to seven games, but rediscovered their scoring touch after being held to a 0-0 draw at Malaga in midweek as Messi and Neymar shone.

The Brazilian opened the scoring with a deflected effort before Messi provided the second with an inch-perfect cross for Ivan Rakitic to head home. Neymar made it three just before half-time and Messi registered his 400th goal for club and country with a simple header from Dani Alves’s cross.

The two then combined as Messi squared for Neymar to complete his hat-trick before the Argentine rounded off the scoring himself nine minutes from time.

Barca boss Luis Enrique had changed his entire defence from the one that started in midweek and the hosts were nearly punished for a slow start as Youssef El-Arabi clipped the bar.

However, Barca were soon into their stride and, after Munir El Haddadi had miscued when presented with an open goal, they took the lead on 26 minutes as Neymar was gifted the ball inside the Granada half and surged forward before seeing his effort deflect pass the helpless Roberto via Jean-Sylvain Babin.

Messi then increased his number of assists already this season to seven as he crossed right-footed for Rakitic to head home and Neymar tapped into an empty net to make it 3-0 after Roberto had denied Munir. Barca continued to dominate after the break and Alves provided Messi with the kind of service he has been handing out in recent weeks with a fine cross that the four-time World Player of the Year headed home.

Messi returned to being the provider for Neymar to complete his hat-trick with a cut-back that the former Santos man dispatched low past Roberto.

And the Argentine rounded off a fine afternoon by robbing the Granada defence of possession and running through to slot home his fifth goal of the season.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is now onto 13 goals from nine matches this season as Real won for the third consecutive league match at Villarreal.

Real survived an early onslaught from Villarreal and won the game with two goals in eight minutes before the break as Luka Modric drilled home the opener before Ronaldo converted from Karim Benzema’s pass to register his eighth goal in a week.

“We’ve won a difficult game against a team that played well and caused us problems,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.

“But the team controlled the game. We suffered when we had to, played when we had to and I think in the end we showed a good attitude and deserved to win.”

The match started at a high pace with attention from the action on the pitch only momentarily distracted by a banner from a Manchester United fans group begging Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo and his team-mates had more pressing matters at hand as Villarreal threatened to go in front as Ikechukwu Uche’s low effort was well saved by Iker Casillas, whilst Argentine youngster Luciano Vietto sliced wide when well-positioned inside the box.

However, the hosts’ profligacy in the final third contrasted with Madrid’s killer instinct and Ancelotti’s men went in front when Modric smashed home his first goal of the season from outside the box on 32 minutes.

And the visitors doubled their advantage five minutes before half-time thanks to a classic counter-attack as James Rodriguez picked out the run of Benzema and the Frenchman brilliantly teed up Ronaldo to slot home.