Barcelona took full advantage of their extra man against Real Betis to win 2-0 at Estadio Benito Villamarín and reclaim top spot in La Liga from Atlético Madrid, thanks to their vastly superior goal difference.
Real Madrid had earlier been keeping the summit warm, following a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad, before Atlético overtook them with a 1-0 win at home to Rayo Vallecano.
Barcelona were always unlikely to slip up at 13th-placed Betis, even less so once Heiko Westermann had been dismissed for his second yellow card 10 minutes before half-time. And, while the response from Barça was not immediate, once Ivan Rakitic had taken advantage of a defensive mix-up between defender Germán Pezzella and goalkeeper Antonio Adán in the home area, the result rarely seemed in much doubt.
Barcelona made sure inside the final 10 minutes when Lionel Messi slid a pass through to Luis Suárez and the Uruguayan scored his 54th goal of an impressive season.
Luis Enrique’s side will complete their campaign with a city derby against Espanyol at Camp Nou before travelling to struggling Granada, knowing two wins will be enough for a 24th league title.
