Feb 28 (Reuters) - Lamine Yamal scored the first hat-trick of his career as Barcelona beat visitors Villarreal 4-1 in LaLiga on Saturday to move four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
Barcelona have 64 points while second-placed Real are on 60 points ahead of their home game against Getafe on Monday. Villarreal remain a distant third on 51.
It was a pulsating, finely balanced encounter in which the scoreline failed to reflect the drama.
Villarreal created a number of chances and repeatedly exposed Barcelona's defensive line, but were punished by an 18-year-old in devastating form.
Yamal put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute after Fermin Lopez robbed Pape Gueye and slipped a pass down the right for the teenager to finish low inside the left post.
He doubled the lead nine minutes later with a dazzling solo run, controlling a long ball on the right wing before cutting inside past Sergi Cardona and Alvaro Moleiro to curl an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Gueye pulled one back from close range in the 49th minute, but Villarreal missed chances to equalise and paid the price as Yamal completed his hat-trick in the 69th with another counter attack.
Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to add a fourth in added time, tapping in from Jules Kounde's low cross from the right.
"They were a very good opponents hence I'm happy to have scored three goals," Yamal told Movistar Plus.
"In the lead up to the second goal, I waited for them to come at me so I could dribble past them, and as for the finish, well, I had to get one in."
Yamal's second strike was a moment of individual brilliance. After controlling a long ball on the right wing, he glided past Cardona and Moleiro before unleashing a stunning shot into the top far corner.
Villarreal had chances to respond, with Ayoze missing from close range, while Raphinha rattled the woodwork from a free kick and Kounde had an effort ruled out for offside before halftime.
Barcelona continued to carve out openings after the break. Dani Olmo was denied from close range by Luiz Junior, and they were made to sweat when Gueye pulled one back in the 49th minute.
Ayoze squandered a chance to equalise six minutes later as he latched onto a long pass but dragged his shot wide of the empty net.
The miss proved costly as Yamal completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute before Lewandowski added a fourth in injury time to complete the win.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
