Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were on target as Barcelona thrashed 10-man Real Betis 4-0 on Saturday to tighten their grip on top spot and moved a step closer to their 27th La Liga title.

With only six games remaining, Barca recovered from a disappointing midweek loss at Rayo Vallecano and moved to 79 points and extended their lead to 11 points over second-placed Real Madrid, while Betis remain sixth on 49 points.

Christensen opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 14th minute with a point-blank header following a cross from Raphinha.

Barca's job was made easier by Betis defender Edgar Gonzalez, who came off the bench in the 12th minute to replace an injured Luiz Felipe but was sent off 21 minutes later after seeing two yellow cards for two bad tackles.

The hosts made the most of their advantage before the break, scoring twice within three minutes thanks to strikes by Lewandowski and Raphinha. Barca managed to extend their lead thanks to an own goal by defender Guido Rodriguez.

Benzema treble

Karim Benzema scored a first-half hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Almeria 4-2 earlier on Saturday.

Benzema opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a close range shot from a Vinicius Jr cross and extended Real's lead 12 minutes later after a magnificent individual play by Rodrygo, who went past a rival with a backheel dribble before crossing to the French striker. Benzema netted his third from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute