Barcelona beat Real Betis to go top

Lionel Messi scored on his 500th Barcelona appearance as Luis Enrique's side finished a magnificent 2015 on top of the La Liga table. Heiko Westermann's own-goal - after Neymar's controversial penalty had hit the bar - gave Barca the lead. Messi recovered from a knock which forced him to go off for treatment to double the lead before Luis Suarez scored twice after the interval. Barca finish 2015 with 180 goals in all competitions, a Spanish record. Barcelona's players lined up for a team photograph before kick-off with the five trophies the club won in 2015 Barcelona's players lined up for a team photograph before kick-off with the five trophies the club won in 2015 They are level on points with Atletico Madrid, who won 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano, but have a game in hand over their title rivals. Real Madrid, 3-1 winners over Real Sociedad , are two points behind in third. Betis formed a guard of honour before kick-off as Barca walked out to have a photograph with their five trophies of 2015 - the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup. Barca took the lead when Messi was harshly judged to have been fouled by keeper Antonio Adan and, although Neymar slipped and hit the crossbar with his spot-kick, Westermann directed the rebound into the back of his own net. Messi slid home his 425th goal for the club after 34 minutes to add to their lead. Suarez scored twice after the break to take over from Neymar as La Liga's leading scorer with 15. Barca were denied by the woodwork four times after the interval as they produced an attacking master-class. They start 2016 with an away game at 13th-placed Espanyol on 2 January. Betis lost Westermann and Bruno Gonzalez to injury, while boss Pep Mel was sent to the stand for arguing.

La Liga: 'Yellow Submarine' sinks wasteful Real

Real Madrid failed to take advantage of Barcelona's slip up and left huge question marks over its La Liga title bid as it lost 1-0 to Villarreal in Sunday's late game in Spain. Real was hoping to take advantage of Barca's disappointing 2-2 home draw with Deportivo La Coruna Saturday, but an early goal by Roberto Soldado in El Madrigal proved its undoing. To rub salt into the wound, city rival Atletico had earlier come from a goal down to beat Athletic Bilbao, drawing level with Barcelona on points at the top.

Champions League draw: Arsenal face Barcelona

Arsenal will face holders Barcelona in the Champions League last 16. Chelsea have been drawn against Paris St-Germain for the third consecutive season, while Manchester City face Dynamo Kiev. Roma versus Real Madrid and Juventus, last year's beaten finalists, against Bayern Munich are two of the standout matches in the draw. First legs are scheduled to take place on 16-17 and 23-24 February. Return legs are on 8-9 and 15-16 March. The winners of each group, including Chelsea and Manchester City, are at home in the second legs, while Arsenal will host their first leg. Barcelona v Arsenal is a repeat of the 2006 final, which the Spanish champions won 2-1 thanks to two late goals in Paris.

Villarreal 1- 0 Real Madrid

 
 Real Madrid are five points behind leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid after losing to Villarreal in a wasteful performance.  Villarreal scored early when Luka Modric lost possession and Cedric Bakambu found Roberto Soldado to place the ball through Keylor Navas' legs. Real, who are now only three points above fifth-placed Villarreal, had 20 shots but only forced one save. Cristiano Ronaldo hit the outside of the post in the second half. Villarreal dominated the early stages and could have led by more but Real were the side on the attack for the majority of the second half, albeit with minimal effect. Real had won all five games since their 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona in El Clasico last month, although one of those was in the Copa del Rey against Cadiz - a result likely to be struck out after their elimination for fielding an ineligible player.