Barcelona and Real Madrid pulled off identical 5-0 victories with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two goals apiece as the Catalan giants maintained their eight-point lead over their archrivals.

Messi scored Barcelona's second and final goals to take his senior career goals tally to 301 - 270 for Barca and 31 for Argentina. David Villa, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas scored the other three in a 5-0 rout of Rayo Vallecano.

"We are delighted for Lionel," Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova told reporters. "He has scored a couple of goals but I prefer to remember the moment when he ran 30 meters to help out in defence in the 89th minute.

"I love the goals, but I like this more."

"It's a difficult ground, with spectacular fans," Fabregas added on Spanish television. "They pressure you and don't let you breathe. But we played a serious game, perhaps the best of the season so far."

In reply to Barcelona's big win, Real answered in kind, with Ronaldo grabbing two, along with Gonzalo Higuain's brace, as substitute Jose Callejon completed the easy win with the fifth over a toothless Mallorca side.

Atletico Madrid kept pace with Barcelona at the top of the table, with Radamel Falcao helping them to a 3-1 victory against bottom-side Osasuna.

Miranda opened the scoring for Atletico, who have not lost a single competitive game since April, heading in off a free kick. Raul Garcia made it 2-0, before Falcao thundered home Atletico's third to take his goal tally to ten this season.

"When it is near the end of the season that will be the time to see where we are in the table," Atletico defender Miranda told reporters.

"Then we'll know if we have a chance for the title or if we can make it into the Champions League."

In other games, Malaga drew 0-0 at Espanyol to stay third in the standings, while Real Betis moved to fifth thanks to a 1-0 win over a lacklustre Valencia side.

Levante are one spot behind Betis on sixth, after Obafemi Martins netted a double in a 3-1 win over Granada.