Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as the Catalan giants romped to victory against the hosts who finished the game with nine men after red cards for Diego Llorente and Manuel Iturra
Barcelona moved eight points clear at the top of La Liga with a 5-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano that saw Luis Enrique's side make history by going 35 games unbeaten, beating Real Madrid's Spanish record.
Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring midway on 22 minutes, the Croatia international taking advantage of a goalkeeping error from Juan Carlos who fumbled a cross allowing the midfielder to take a touch before firing into an empty net.
Just over a minute later and Barcelona had doubled their lead, Lionel Messi driving forwards and swapping passes with Neymar before tucking it past Carlos at his near post.
Rayo's task was made ever harder when Diego Llorente was sent off for a high challenge on Rakitic shortly before the break and Messi made the extra man count 10 minutes in the second half, grabbing his second of the evening after Luis Suarez's shot had hit the post.
Although Manucho grabbed one back for the hosts, they were dealt another blow when Manuel Iturra saw red for a foul on Sergio Busquets and although Luis Suarez missed the subsequent penalty, Messi scored his third of the evening just minutes after.
Arda Turan then completed the scoring in the 85th minute, heading home Jeremy Mathieu's cross at the far post for his first Barcelona goal.
Barca's Claudio Bravo was the first goalkeeper to be tested when he was forced into a diving save to keep out Adrian Embarba's effort from distance in the fourth minute.
However, Rayo's good work in the opening 20 minutes was undone as - after denying Messi with near-post save - Juan Carlos gifted Barca the opener by fumbling the subsequent corner into the path of Rakitic to turn into an empty net.
And the hosts were given a mountain to climb just a minute later, Messi slotting into the bottom-left corner from Neymar's return pass, although replays suggested the Brazil captain may have been marginally offside when he received the initial ball down the left from the Argentina forward.
Rayo refused to lie down, though, and spurned a glorious chance to pull a goal back when Quini headed Embarba's left-wing cross wide from close range.
However, any hope of a comeback was all but extinguished three minutes before half-time, Llorente seeing red for a high and rash challenge on Rakitic.
An angry Paco Jemez came out to confront referee Inaki Vicandi Garrido following the half-time whistle and his mood will only have worsened when Messi put Barca three to the good eight minutes after the restart.
Neymar - suspended for the Barca's next match against Eibar after picking up a late booking - and Suarez both spurned decent chances early in the second half, with the latter then seeing his volley strike the right-hand post, only for Messi convert on the rebound despite Juan Carlos getting a hand to his shot.
Embarba was involved as Rayo quickly responded, his inswinging cross headed back across goal by Bebe for Manucho to convert.
Neymar struck the crossbar from a free-kick after Rakitic had been fouled on the edge of the area.
Iturra then hacked down Sergio Busquets from the rebound but Suarez was denied by Juan Carlos from 12 yards, although the shot-stopper was soon picking the ball out of his net twice more.
Messi latched onto a Busquets pass to roll home his third and Arda added yet more gloss to the scoreline by turning in Jeremy Mathieu's cross at the far post.
- Goal