Lionel Messi rescued Barcelona with a brace against lowly Almeria yesterday.
Messi scored twice as Barcelona survived a scare to come from behind and beat bottom club Almeria at the Nou Camp.
The result preserved their eight-point lead over fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Division table.
Barca had seen Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mames earlier in the day but found it surprisingly difficult to break down an Almeria side playing their first game under new coach Roberto Olade.
Corona gave the visitors a shock lead after 49 minutes following a goalless first half, but Messi - who had hit the post just before the interval - equalised from the spot virtually straight away and youngster Thiago Alcantara gave the Catalans the lead before the Argentina forward added a late third to secure a vital win ahead of next weekend's important trip to the Bernabeu.
