Torres treble helps Barcelona extend Liga lead, Atletico slip

Ferran Torres netted a first-half hat-trick to help Barcelona thrash Real Betis 5-3 and move four points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday.

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Lamine Yamal and Roony Bardghji scored the other goals as the champions racked up what was mostly a comfortable victory in Seville, until they conceded two late goals.

Real Madrid, second, host Celta Vigo on Sunday aiming to reel Hansi Flick's side back in.

Fourth-place Atletico Madrid fell to a second defeat this week with a 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao.

Villarreal, third, kept the pressure on La Liga's top two with a 2-0 win over IO-man Getafe.

After some shaky performances Barca beat Diego Simeone's Atletico in midweek and then built on it with another triumph at Betis.

"We are fighting and (my players) were exhausted, so at the end not everyone was 100 percent, and this is normal," Flick told reporters.

"Today is positive. Really positive and compliments for my players."

Flick opted to make some rotations, with a key Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in mind.

The German coach started Bardghji on the right wing and Torres up front in place of Robert Lewandowski, as well as moving teenage star Yamal into a central attacking midfield role, where he impressed.