Messi surpasses 300 Spanish league goals in Barcelona win

Lionel Messi surpassed the 300-goal mark in La Liga as Barcelona moved six points clear at the top with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon.

Sitting in 16th place in La Liga, Sporting de Gijon host league leaders Barcelona in what happens to be an important fixture for both sides.

Messi had the opportunity to hit his latest milestone in Sunday’s demolition of Celta Vigo, but opted instead to pass his penalty to Luis Suarez who rolled the ball home.

As a result of Wednesday’s triumph, Enrique’s men have also extended their club-record unbeaten run to 31 matches, having last suffered against Sevilla in October.

Four minutes later Cuellar was beaten as Messi dropped his shoulder and cut in from the right before finding the bottom corner from 20 yards.

However, it didn’t take the Uruguayan long to dust himself down and collect the goal he should have scored five minutes earlier, wrapping a left-footed effort across the goal and inside Cuellar’s far post.

The Spanish giants began to rip through Sporting’s defence, and Neymar came close to getting on the scoresheet before the half-time break by attempting to curl the ball into the net after the keeper denied Messi’s strike, but the Brazilian’s effort bounced off the post.

Barca coach Luis Enrique has no fresh injury concerns.

Luis Suarez missed a second-half penalty but made amends soon after by scoring the third goal to take his tally in all competitions to 40 this season.

Six minutes later, Messi added a second to put him on 301 at half-time, 50 goals ahead of Athletic Bilbao legend Telo Zarra (who played in the 1940s and 1950s) and 55 ahead of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.