Barcelona moved one point behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 3-1 win over Granada on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez moved Barca 2-0 ahead after 48 minutes, but the home side had hope through a Fran Rico penalty after 53 minutes.

Lionel Messi then scored a third for Barca 20 minutes from time, however, allowing the visitors to close out the final stages with a comfortable two-goal lead.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics

GRANADA
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 33%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 18

BARCELONA
Shots: 16
On target: 9
Possession: 67%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Granada have not played this well for some time, but when looking at the match as a whole, it is difficult to argue that Barcelona did not deserve all of the points. The visitors dominated the possession for long spells and created more opportunities, especially in the second period. Granada have only scored six home league goals this season and it was always going to be the type of match where they needed to open the scoring. When that did not happen, it was always going to be tough against a Barcelona side that had fresh legs following Luis Enrique's decision to ring the changes.

In fairness to the hosts, it would have been easy to crumble when Suarez made it 2-0 after 48 minutes, but they responded through Rico just five minutes later. Despite the two sides then being separated by just one goal, Barca always offered the impression that they would go on to claim all the points. If Granada can play like this for the remainder of the season then they will be fine in terms of relegation, but they came up against a strong and composed Barcelona side on Saturday.

Granada's performance

Entering the match, Granada had won just one of their last 20 in the league and their 2-1 defeat at Levante last time out would have been fresh in their minds. Head coach Abel Resino made his game-plan clear, though, by selecting a forward-thinking XI. Jhon Cordoba was named as the lone forward, but both Robert Ibanez and Lass Bangoura were allowed to support the striker. Javi Marquez also pushed forward from midfield and there is no question that Barcelona found it difficult during stages of the game. That said, for all of Granada's good play - and there was a lot - they struggled to create clear opportunities, which has been the story of their season. They play good football, but goals are ultimately what win games.

In general play, there was not much between the two teams, but Barca did not need too many chances to race into a two-goal lead and from that moment, the game was as good as over. Rico's strike from the penalty spot lifted the atmosphere inside the stadium, but they never really built on it as Barca took control once again. There might have been a hint of offside about Barca's third, but the visitors had more than enough chances to make it more comprehensive late on. Granada did not deserve anything from this particular match, but it was certainly a much-improved display from Resino's side.

Barcelona's performance

After losing at home to Malaga last weekend, it was vital that Barcelona returned to winning ways in the league. Head coach Enrique made four changes from the team that beat Manchester City in the Champions League last week, with Claudio Bravo, Marc Bartra, Jeremy Mathieu and Xavi all coming in. That meant a midfield role for Javier Mascherano, while Messi, Neymar and Suarez continued in attack. There was not too much on show in the first period, but Rakitic opened the scoring after 25 minutes. The Croatian was also involved in Barca's second - setting up Suarez to finish from inside the box.

Enrique's side allowed Granada a route back into the match when Bartra brought Lass to the ground inside the box, but a strike from Messi 20 minutes from time ensured that the points would head back to Barcelona. Suarez had the chance to tap home from close range for their third, but instead passed sideways to Messi, who looked in an offside position. The goal stood, however, while Suarez was taken off shortly after, which did not go down too well with the forward. It was far from Barca's best performance of the season, but victory was what mattered most here. As it stands, they are one point behind league leaders Real Madrid, who have a tough match against Villarreal on Sunday. The title race is shaping up very nicely indeed.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Ivan Rakitic: It has been a bitty first season for Rakitic at Barcelona - some good performances and some disappointing ones, but this was definitely the former. The Croatian showed excellent awareness to convert Barca's first of the match, before setting up Suarez with a super pass for goal number two.

Biggest gaffe

Unfortunately, Granada defender Juan Cala will not look too fondly on Barca's first goal. Suarez raced down the left for the visitors before attempting to find the back of the net, but Cala was on hand to clear. The centre-back never got enough weight on his clearance, however, and the ball dropped straight to Rakitic, who had the simple task of firing home. Initially, it was a good block from Cala, but he made it far too easy for the visitors to open the scoring.

Referee performance

Referee Santiago Jaime had a fairly busy afternoon - issuing four yellow cards and a second-half penalty. There can be little argument against Granada's spot kick, with Bartra bringing Lass to the ground inside the box. The hosts were unhappy that Barca's third goal stood when there was a hint of offside, but Jaime went with his linesman, who kept the flag down. Overall, the Spanish official allowed the match to flow, which helped contribute to an interesting and entertaining spectacle.

What next?

Granada: Granada host Malaga in the league next Saturday.

Barcelona: Barca travel to Villarreal for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, holding a 3-1 lead from the first leg. Their next league match is at home to Rayo Vallecano next Sunday.