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FC Barcelona went to the RCDE Stadium in the Cornella in an attempt to pull clear at the top of the table from the chasing pack.
The underwhelming Espanyol side who had already lost their last three fixtures coming into the game were motivated only because this was a derby.
But as things proceeded, the game became much less of a derby and more of a one-sided thrashing.
Unlike last year's fixture where the pitch was fully water-logged which affected the passing game of Barcelona, this year Barcelona found their groove at the Cornella.
With Luis Suarez returning from the injury, Barcelona switched Messi back to right-wing and Dembele to the left-wing. Phillipe Coutinho started from the bench.
FC Barcelona started the game on the front foot and got Espanyol by the scruff of their necks. They never seemed to let the pressure down and pressed hard when out of possession.
Lionel Messi caused a majority of the problems for Espanyol, running at the defenses like mad and even helping defensively.
Barcelona went ahead through Lionel Messi's freekick at the 19th minute and doubled their advantage when Dembele scored just seven minutes later. Luis Suarez snuck in with a third goal before half-time.
Barcelona had several shots that deflected off the post. Lionel Messi went on to score another goal from a free-kick thus putting the scoreline at 4-0.
Barcelona continues at the top of the table, three points clear of second-placed Sevilla. Espanyol, on the other hand, is at ninth place on the table due to inferior goal difference compared to Getafe, Levante, and Girona.
Here are five hits and flops from the game.
#5 Flop: Didac Vila (Espanyol)
The Espanyol full-back was not at his best against Barcelona. The left-back spot was very vulnerable all along the game.
Nelson Semedo, Lionel Messi, Ivan Rakitic, all had their fun in the right flank. Semedo was able to get an astounding 86 touches while he spent most of the time near Vila. He was able to make three key passes right under the nose of the left back.
Vila had a lot of possession for his team but his distribution lacked authority. He was only able to complete 81% of his passes.
He could also manage only one tackle in the wing. He failed to keep possession with him, dispossessed four times in the game. He also earned a yellow card in the game.
Not the person you would put a lot of expectations on but still too bad a performance for the Cornella's liking.
#4 Hit: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Luis Suarez returned to the starting line-up following his injury layoff. And needless to say, he found his partnership with Lionel Messi instantly.
He made two key passes in the game and also made 53 attempts to pass with a fair 90% accuracy. The amount of passing from center-forward position puts emphasis on his involvement in build-up play.
He came agonizingly close to scoring but his shot deflected off the woodwork. He continued to combine with Messi throughout the game and made inside runs irrespective of the arrival of the through ball. He got the reward for his tireless work just at the brink of halftime when he scored.
Suarez made the run towards the left side of the box and put his hand up for the through ball. Dembele found a picture-perfect ball but Suarez impressively fought off the pressure from the defender.
He moved into the box while being forced into almost a 0° angle by Diego Lopez. Somehow, some way, he squeezed the ball into the net from the almost impossible angle to score.
Suarez marked his return with a goal and Barcelona will hope for similar performances from their star forward.
#3 Flop: Diego Lopez (Espanyol)
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper had a terrible time between the sticks. This is not the first time that he has been at the receiving end of four goals from the Blaugrana. The first time was the 4-3 defeat of Real Madrid against Barcelona at the Bernabeu.
Diego Lopez cannot be blamed entirely for the defeat as Espanyol players failed to press well and gave free-kicks away in dangerous positions. There was absolutely nothing he could do about the two freekicks from Messi.
But he failed to position well during Dembele's goal and failed to react to the curl as well. About 40% his fault. Suarez's goal was another horror.
From that angle when the ball is squeezed in past the keeper, the keeper is to blame. It was Lopez's fault that Suarez managed to squeeze the ball in. Take nothing away from the persistence and presence of mind from the Uruguayan but Lopez needed to do better there.
Also, he could have ended up conceding more goals if the shots that hit the post had gone in. A poor day at the office for the Espanyol No.1.
#2 Hit: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
There might have been a few doubts over Dembele's position in the field. Due to Suarez's return, Messi swapped with Dembele in the right wing and Dembele was consequently moved to the left part of the pitch.
Due to Alba's overwhelming presence in the left-flank, Dembele did not create much in his previous games in the left wing.
Yesterday, however, was a different story altogether for the Frenchman. He showcased his blistering pace and linked well with Messi.
When his moment came from Messi's pass, he beat the defender, switched the ball to his right foot and brilliantly curled the ball in.
Further, at the brink of halftime, he spotted Suarez's call for a through ball and bisected the Espanyol defence with a perfect pass to play him through. Suarez managed to score from the pass as Dembele earned the assist.
He even improved on his defensive efforts and won three tackles against the utterly physical Espanyol team.
He has proved that he is worthy of starting in the team and continues to impress irrespective of which wing he plays on. Dembele is slowly integrating into the team.
#1 Hit: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
No words could describe this man. We have completely run out of superlatives trying to describe the individual brilliance from this little man from Rosario, Argentina.
A day after he came under criticism from the legendary Pele, for not scoring with his right foot and head, he showed exactly why his left foot is more than enough. Despite not scoring with his head, he hit the post with his header and had a shot from his right foot saved by Diego Lopez.
When Lionel stood over the freekick, the jeers from Cornella crowd were growing in order to put him off. But they were no good as Messi spectacularly curled the ball into the top corner, completely out of Diego Lopez's reach.
He kept hitting the defense hard with his dribbles, showing scary pace at times. He helped out defensively with his pressing and unusually high work-rate.
The pressure that Espanyol mounted on him when he ran at them was humongous. Still, somehow he kept hold of the ball, went down but got up again to keep possession and picked Dembele with his unreal vision.
In the second half, he won another freekick, this time even further away from the box than the first one. Still, he stepped up and struck it with a curl as the ball sailed into the top corner.
A 10/10 performance for Lionel Messi. When he begins pressing, it is almost curtains for the opposition as Espanyol found out the hard way.
Pele's criticism just fades away with the first free-kick. France Football's ignorance doesn't have any effect on this man. The '5th-best' player in the world with a mammoth performance.
