Liverpool finished their year on a high as they comfortably beat QPR 3-0 at Loftus Road.
In just the fourth minute Suarez unleashed a crisp strike from 25 yards which stung the palms of the returning Cesar in the QPR goal, and he was only able to parry it away unconvincingly. Suarez did manage to open the scoring as early as the 10th minute, however, as he fired a clinical right-footed finish beyond Cesar after being allowed to coast past Clint Hill into the QPR box, and leave the keeper helpless.
Just six minutes later, Suarez had doubled his tally: Downing combined with the forward down the right, before Onuoha slid in and diverted the ball back to the striker, who lashed a powerful strike into the roof of the net for his 13th league goal of the season.
A period of incessant pressure from the visitors ensued, and Ryan Nelsen did superbly to clear off the line for the hosts to prevent an otherwise certain third goal after Glen Johnson got in behind Armand Traore and fired a low cross towards the far post, where Suarez was lurking ominously on the goalline.
It did not take long for Liverpool to score their third as Agger rose imperiously to head powerfully beyond Cesar from Henderson's dinked cross from the right to net his second goal of the season and first Premier League goal away from home.
Liverpool have lost nine of their last 16 Premier League games in London, but by half-time they looked comfortable and Redknapp made a defensive change in replacing striker Djibril Cisse with previously out-of-favour midfielder Shaun Derry at the break.
There was a marked improvement at the start of the second half from the hosts, but Suarez nearly bagged a hat-trick as he jinked inside two challenges and fired a fizzing shot which Cesar had to palm wide.
It was a much-improved showing from Redknapp's side in the second half, but it was too little, too late with Liverpool having won the match in the first half hour to claim their seventh league win of the season to move up into ninth place and leave QPR rooted to the bottom of the table.
Frank Lampard scored a brace to lead a 2-1 comeback win at Everton on Sunday and move the Blues back up to third place in the Premier League.
Lampard exhibited sheer class as he scored either side of halftime to cancel out Steven Pienaar's thunderbolt strike after just 63 seconds. Chelsea's fourth successive league win under interim manager Rafael Benitez lifted them to within four points of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. Manchester United though are seven points clear at the top.
Lampard has made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea in 11 years but has been linked with a move away from the club when his current contract expires at the end of the season.
"We haven't been talking (about a new contract) in the last couple of weeks and I'm just concentrating on playing," Lampard told the media.
"Playing games gives me enough satisfaction, then what will be will be."
Benitez praised his side for the way they responded to conceding early on but he would not be drawn on Lampard's future.
"My job is to keep Lampard fit," he said. "He is under contract, fully committed and working hard and that is it. My job is to coach the players, and keep winning games and keep my opinion."
Lampard's performance at Goodison Park was an example of just how influential he can be.
He rose high in the box to meet a well-directed, left-footed cross from Ramires, planting the ball in the corner of Tim Howard's net to draw Chelsea level, before slamming home the winner after a goalmouth scramble with 18 minutes left on the clock.
Lampard has made popping up in the right place at the right time an art form in his time at Chelsea.
"It was very hard," he said.
"This is always one of the most difficult games of the season. We got a tanking here last year and we had to stand up for ourselves... It was always going to be very close and we did ride our luck at times.
"We have to keep believing this season - there is a long way to go. We can only win our games then rely on other things."
Blackburn Rovers have sacked manager Henning Berg and three of his coaching staff in a vivid reaction to the club's slide down the Championship table.
The former Rovers player replaced Steve Kean in September but has not been able to get the club firing since taking over. Blackburn have dropped to seventeenth position with 29 points, just 7 points adrift of the relegation zone and another eight points adrift of the play-off places.
Berg had just 10 games in charge of the club, leading the side to only one victory, a 4-1 win over Peterborough away from home back in November, losing six and drawing the remaining three, failing to win a game at Ewood Park during his brief tenure.
Assistant manager Eric Black, first team coach Iain Brunskill and goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms have all left Ewood Park as well.
In a statement, Rovers said: "This decision has been taken following a very disappointing sequence of results. The club thanks the four men for their efforts and wishes them every success for the future."
Venky Chief and Rovers' owners Balaji Rao said, "We have not been doing well and dropping points and losing matches quite often. I want to go up."
Berg after getting fired stated "It goes without saying that I am bitterly disappointed to have been relieved of my managerial duties at Ewood Park after just 57 days since my appointment.
"At this stage I would just like to release a short statement thanking the Blackburn Rovers fans for their incredible support during my time in charge.
"I have always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with them dating back to my playing days where we shared some great memories.
"It was an honour for me to manage a club that is so close to my heart and I now wish all of them every success for the rest of the season and beyond.
"I would also like to thank the players and staff for their support and commitment in this short period. They have all done their best and unfortunately the results in these 10 games have not reflected their performances.
"I wish the club all the best in the future, and am sure that with a few additions in the January transfer window, they will have a good chance of getting a play-off place."
Tim Sherwood, Tottenham's technical co-coordinator, is one of the names being considered for the post along with former boss Mark Hughes.
Manchester United were incapable to reinstate their six-point lead at the top of the table as they were blocked by Swansea's fabulously spirited resistance and held to a first draw of the season.
Swansea produced a splendid display to come from behind and take a point off Premier League leaders Manchester United. Top scorer Michu's 13th goal of the season earned Swansea their first point against United since winning promotion to the top flight.
Patrice Evra gave an early lead to United but Michu equalized 13 minutes later as the Welsh team defended brilliantly in the second half to emerge with a deserved point from an aggressive and thoroughly entertaining clash.
For Swansea, after consecutive defeats, this was the acid test, not just of their mettle but also for their commendable passing game.
The draw was United's first stalemate of the season and came almost 30 years to the day since Swansea held United to a 0-0 at the Vetch Field under John Toshack in the old First Division.
United created a few attacks late on in the half but, with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young both having poor matches, their supply from the flanks was poor and the two teams went into the break level.
Tempers blazed late on when Swansea captain Ashley Williams cleared the ball straight into Robin van Persie's head from close range while Van Persie was on the ground.
Van Persie reacted angrily and squared up to Williams with referee Michael Oliver booking both players.
Ferguson reacted angrily on this and said "The Van Persie situation you can clearly see that he could have been killed"
And called it a "disgraceful act"
"He should be banned for a long time because that was the most dangerous thing I've seen on a football field for many years. It was absolutely deliberate."
"The whistle has gone, the game has stopped and he has done that right in front of the referee, he could have killed the lad."
Liberty Stadium fans were further angered when Phil Jones was given only a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Ben Davies, even though replays suggested referee Michael Oliver got the decision right.
United are at home to Newcastle on Wednesday, and with a four-point lead at the top they remain favorites to squeeze the title away.
Chelsea made perfect start to festive period and fashioned their most brutal attacking display on Sunday to pound Aston Villa with a thumping 8-0, Premier League victory.
The Blues slashed Villa defence apart with ease after Fernando Torres headed in the opener after just three minutes, with seven other different goal scorers at Stamford Bridge. Having scored just seven goals in the opening four months of the season, Torres has now scored seven in the last six games in all competitions.
Benitez said on Torres' form "He is a striker and he needed to score goals ... he has more confidence."
This one-sided rout will be most pleasing for Rafa Benitez, who now has two league wins in the five games since being hired to replace Roberto Di Matteo despite the aggression of Chelsea fans.
Frank Lampard marked his 500th appearance for the club by scoring stunning 25 yarder and surpassed Bobby Tambling (129 goals) as the club's leading top-flight scorer, moving to 130.
Ramires, who replaced Lampard, scored twice, as David Luiz, Oscar, Branislav Ivanovic and Eden Hazard also beat Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. A first league win at Stamford Bridge since early October lifted the Blues up to third place, seven points behind second-place Manchester City but with a game in hand.
With Lampard's contract expiring at the end of the season, the fans responded with chants of "Sign him up" and roared in approval.
Frank Lampard told media after the match "We showed great appetite for the game from the first minute."
"(With) our desire to be quick with the ball, the early goal helped. We are enjoying playing again and we needed that attitude to get us out of the sticky patch we were in."
"I'm under contract here. I'm going to keep going game by game."
"I love playing here. I'm pleased to be fit and I will keep trying to enjoy my football. I believe I have a lot in me to go. I don't want to get too deep. The club's position is their position. I'm here to play football to show people what I can do."
Villa manager Paul Lambert said his side's submission at Chelsea was a "wake-up call" with the Midlands team pining away in 16th place, three points above the drop zone.
"We were second best all over the pitch, I am not going to stand here and make excuses," said the Scot. "We were beaten up pretty badly. The lads know that was not acceptable."
Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to return to Old Trafford as Real Madrid were drawn against his old side in the last 16 of the Champions League. It will also pit Jose Mourinho against Sir Alex Ferguson in the most mouthwatering tie of the first knock-out round of Europe's top club competition.
The only other English side Arsenal will face last season's beaten finalists Bayern Munich while Celtic will take on Italian champions Juventus as they look for a place in the quarter-finals.
Barcelona will take on familiar foes AC Milan with the first leg at the San Siro. Their most recent encounter was in the quarter-finals last season, when Barca prevailed 3-1 on aggregate.
German champions Borussia Dortmund face a tricky clash with Shakhtar Donetsk while local rivals Schalke take on Galatasaray.
Paris St Germain will fancy their chances of beating Valencia, and Malaga, who are performing better in the Primera Division, meet Portuguese champions Porto.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon called his side's draw against Juventus "a beauty" but very tough.
Lennon said: "Well in terms of glamour it's a beauty. Juventus are one of the great traditional European teams. They're current Italian champions and finished the group stage very strongly. So in terms of glamour it's great, in terms of qualification it is going to very tough, but it could have been any of the other teams and it would have been just as tough.
"We will take it as it comes, we're looking forward to the games now and I'm sure our supporters will be as well.
"We believe over two games anything is possible. Juventus are littered with world-class stars and have been very consistent over the last 18 months and have got a great winning mentality, but so have we.
"To come through the group as impressively as we did, you just never know where you'll be in a month or two's time in terms of fitness and form."
We will wait to see what the other managers feel about the draw and how they fare come February 12th.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure won Africa's top football honour on Thursday, beating off fellow Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba in second place with Alexandre Song of Cameroon, in third.
Toure, 29, claimed the African Player of the Year award for the second year in succession, joining Senegal and Leeds United forward El-Hadji Diouf on two victories; however he still has a long way to match the achievement of Anzhi Makhachkala striker Samuel Eto'o who has won four titles.
He was crowned at an awards ceremony held in Ghana's capital, Accra, after being voted by the head coaches or technical directors of countries affiliated to the CAF.
The midfielder appeared to tear up when his name was called on the stage.
"I have a lot of emotion," he said after accepting the award. "I think this night is so special for me."
He has been regularly praised by his manager Roberto Mancini for his versatile and dynamic personality, helping his club Manchester City win the English Premier League title last season, their first in 44 years.
Also, Toure is a very important man in the Ivory Coast team ready to head towards the African Cup of Nations starting in South Africa next month.
His second CAF award was announced on the night when the former Chelsea star Drogba, now playing for Shanghai Shenhua, awaited his third win.
Drogba was hoping to get a step closer to Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o's record but accepted that his fellow Ivorian was a deserving winner who has displayed extraordinary flair in games with consistency.
"Being in competition against Yaya and Alex was for me very difficult," said the striker. "For me, I don't mind, if Yaya wins. I'm very proud."
Meanwhile, Alexandre Song, a 25-year Barcelona midfielder, was nominated for the very first time this year, after a season that included strong play for Arsenal before Barcelona picked him up for £16million in the summer.
Jan Vertonghen scored a second-half winner to send Tottenham Hotspur back into the top four of the Premier League after a 1-0 home win against Swansea City yesterday.
The former Ajax defender broke the deadlock in the 75th minute at White Hart Lane with a beautifully-struck right-footed half-volley after Kyle Walker swung in a free kick from the right that beat the defence and fell to Vertonghen.
Spurs leapfrogged Everton to take fourth place, level on 29 points with third-placed Chelsea who have a game in hand after losing the Club World Cup final in Japan 1-0 to Brazil's Corinthians on Sunday.
Manchester United, who beat Sunderland 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday, have 42 points and are six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Spurs enjoyed most of the possession but were frustrated by a flowing Swansea side that proved solid in defence and dangerous on the break.
Walker had Tottenham's best chance of the goalless first half in the 40th minute when he blasted the ball at goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel from 25 metres.
Tremmel had barely time to raise his hands, with the ball ricocheting off his shoulder without Spurs being able to capitalise.
Swansea's Michu then tried an opportunistic lob from the halfway line two minutes later that flew over the bar as Hugo Lloris scrambled back to cover.
Paolo Guerrero sealed a 69th-minute winner as South American champions Corinthians ambushed Chelsea to win the Club World Cup on Sunday, triggering wild celebrations in Yokohama.
Chelsea, who had been under pressure to win the tournament after becoming the first holders to exit the Champions League at the group stage, missed a string of chances.
"It doesn't matter how skilful the opposition is, our players have the work-rate, energy and teamwork to overcome," Corinthians coach Tite told reporters after the final ended 1-0.
"They have a great telepathy," added the 51-year-old, who guided the Sao Paulo club to the Brazilian title in 2011 and the Libertadores Cup earlier this year.
Their smash-and-grab over Chelsea completed a remarkable turnaround after Corinthians were relegated at the end of 2007.
"With this tournament and the Libertadores Cup we've now gone 16 games and conceded only four goals," said Tite. "The way we managed the game was excellent."
Gary Cahill, sent off in the last minute, Fernando Torres and Victor Moses were denied by brilliant saves from goalkeeper Cassio in a game the English side largely dominated.
Corinthians, who won the first Club World Cup in 2000, caught Chelsea cold when Peru striker Guerrero headed home from close range after Danilo's shot looped up off Cahill's boot.
"I'm delighted to have scored two goals," said Guerrero, scorer of his side's winner in their 1-0 semi-final victory over Egypt's Al-Ahly.
"But it's more important for Corinthians to be world champions.
"We knew that it would be extremely tough to beat the champions of Europe but we gave 100 percent and more. I think we deserved to win the cup."
Torres had a late effort superbly blocked by tournament MVP Cassio and a stoppage-time header ruled out for offside.
The Corinthians players celebrated by dancing and hugging each other as fireworks exploded and some 15,000 travelling fans among the crowd of 68,000 began a fiesta set to go on all night.
Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez refused to make excuses after his second loss in three appearances with three different clubs at the FIFA tournament.
"They had one chance and scored," said the Spaniard. "We didn't take our chances. We had four clear chances and we didn't take them. That was the difference."
Gareth Barry has been handed a one-match ban by the Football Association for using abusive language towards a match official during Manchester City's derby defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
The England international accepted the charge of the suspension as well as an 8,000 Pounds fine meaning he will miss his side's clash with Newcastle on Saturday.
Barry accepted the punishment for using abusive language towards fourth official Mark Clattenburg in the tunnel minutes after his side's 3-2 defeat to United.
The news of the 31-year-old's suspension will come as a bitter blow for City boss Roberto Mancini, as Barry has been a key player for his side this season featuring in 17 games so far in all competitions, after returning from a hernia operation in September which kept him out of Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2012.
A statment on the club's official website said: "Both the club and Gareth Barry reluctantly accept the punishment which leads to Gareth being unavailable to take part in the weekend's match against Newcastle."
It is expected Barry will return to first-team action next week for City's Premier League clash with Reading.
Fernando Torres and Juan Mata powered Chelsea past Mexico's Monterrey 3-1and cruised through to the World Club Finals. It comes as a breather for interim coach-Rafael Benitez who would like to redeem himself with a win in Sunday's final.
"We can't afford to lose the final," Benitez, who won the tournament with Inter Milan in 2010 but lost in the 2005 final with Liverpool, told reporters.
"We will see if Corinthians can play at our level. They have Brazilian quality so we know it will be a difficult match."
Juan Mata finished off a classy move in the 17th minute to give Chelsea the lead, smashing in a left-foot shot after a low ball from Ashley Cole, sent clear by a back-heel from Oscar.
Spain team-mate Torres added Chelsea's second with a deflected drive 20 seconds after the break, his fifth goal in three games.
Mata's cross was turned into his own net by Darvin Chavez moments later to effectively kill off the game, although Aldo de Nigris grabbed a consolation for Monterrey in stoppage time.
"It's nice to be scoring goals again," said a smiling Torres, still hugely popular with Japanese fans despite only recently emerging from an alarming goal drought.
"To hear the fans chanting my name meant a lot to me. Hopefully I can take that form into the final," added the Spaniard, one of the world's deadliest strikers under Benitez at Liverpool.
"This is a massively important tournament for us. We came a long way and it's a trophy we have to win."
Benitez said Torres, on the score sheet for the third successive game for the first time in a Chelsea shirt, was close to his best.
"Fernando is sharper now and has more confidence," said Benitez, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo last month and has yet to win over the Chelsea faithful.
"If we can keep playing at the same level, he will continue to score goals."
European teams have won the last five Club World Cup tournaments. Barcelona lifted the trophy in 2009 and 2011 and Manchester United were the only English winners in 2008.
"European teams are the best in the world," said Monterrey coach Victor Vucetich, understandably frustrated by his side's calamitous start to the second half.
"They pay the most money. Clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona can go out and buy the best players from all over the world. We made mistakes and it cost us dear."
Manchester United registered a thrilling win over neighbors Manchester City. United got off to a great start with 2 cheeky goals from Wayne Rooney, but goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta pulled City level. But a last-minute deflected free-kick from Robin van Persie curled its way in to win the game for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
With City playing at home, where it had not lost in the Premier League in two years, holding the edge early, United tossed the game. Van Persie's injury time winner provoked an angry response from the City fans that resulted in a coin hitting Ferdinand above the eye and drawing blood.
The game got worse when a fan managed to force his way to the ground and remonstrate with referee Martin Atkinson before being restrained by City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Ferguson told the media "It is just unfortunate at the end that a City fan ran on the pitch and that they threw coins at our players. You really don't need things like that."
"The same thing happened at Chelsea, which was a bit masked by everything else that happened that day. It was a fantastic game of football between two fantastic teams and we could have done without that."
A Manchester City spokesperson apologized to Ferdinand for the incidence stating "We apologize to Rio. We condemn the actions of the individual concerned. We are reviewing the CCTV with the police and our normal security. We will support the police with any investigation and hopefully identify the person as soon as possible."
Manchester United are now six points clear at the top of the Premier League. It raised few questions on Mancini's team selection and strategies like Should Tevez have started for City instead of Balotelli?
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi broke Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year as his brace helped Barcelona to victory at Real Betis.
The Argentina international grabbed the opener in the 16th minute with a trademark dribble and finish to move level with the German striker, who achieved the feat in 1972. He took over Muller's record tally with his second goal of the night in 86th minute, after playing one-two with Andres Iniesta, then let fly again with his legendary left foot, beating home goalkeeper Adrian for the second time.
Favourite to secure a fourth successive World Player award when the winner is announced next month, Messi has netted 74 times for Barca and 12 for Argentina in 2012, surpassing Mueller's total for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1972.
He has scored 56 in La Liga, 13 in the Champions League, three in the King's Cup and two in the Spanish Super Cup and still has two league matches and one King's Cup game to add to his tally before the end of the year.
Mueller, known as the "torpedo" while Messi's nickname is "the flea", netted 72 for Bayern and 13 for Germany in 1972 and was 27 when he set the record.
The pair have very different playing styles, with the left-footed Messi scoring many of his goals after trademark weaving runs, while Mueller was more of a poacher inside the box.
Asked about the World Player award, Messi said he would be happy for his Barca team mate Andres Iniesta to win, one of three nominated along with Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo who won it in 2008.
"Obviously if he (Iniesta) wins it's fully deserved for what he has achieved and what he is as a player, what he does every match," Messi told Canal Plus.
"If he wins it would also be a good thing, it's an award for the entire dressing room."
Liverpool squeezed into the Europa League knockout phase after the five-time European champions beat Udinese 1-0 in Italy to finish top of their group.
The win earned the Reds pole position in Group A, leapfrogging Anzhi Makhachkala on goals scored, with the Russians losing 3-1 at Swiss side Young Boys, who boasted the same number of points as the top two but exited on goal difference.
Jordan Henderson was Liverpool's match-winner but Udinese substitute Antonio di Natale almost cut short any celebrations when flashing a shot over the crossbar in the dying seconds.
Liverpool were joined by compatriots Tottenham Hotspur, 1986 European champions Steaua Bucharest as well as VfB Stuttgart and Basel as the last five clubs through to the knockout stages.
The twelve group winners in the Europa League will avoid the weaker sides that drop into the competition from the Champions League, with Chelsea - who finished third in their group despite amassing 10 points - among the top seeds.
Joining the reigning European champions in the Europa League draw on 20 December are CFR Cluj, Olympiakos, Benfica as well as Dynamo Kiev, Zenit St Petersburg, Ajax Amsterdam and BATE Borisov.
Elsewhere, Romanians Steaua held Copenhagen to a 1-1 draw in Denmark to go through as Group E winners, with Germans VfB Stuttgart progressing ahead of the Danish side thanks to a better head-to-head record.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, who won the competition with Porto in 2011, Tottenham took the final berth in Group J when beating Panathinaikos 3-1 at home, with group winners Lazio cruising to a 4-1 win at Maribor.
The Europa League's defending champions, Atletico Madrid, eventually had to settle for second place in Group B, after losing 1-0 to Viktoria Plzen with the victory earning the Czechs top spot.
The remaining sides to go through as group winners are Fenerbahce (Group C), Bordeaux (Group D), Dnipro (Group F), Genk (Group G), Lyon (Group I), Metalist Kharkiv (Group K) and Hannover (Group L).
2020 will be staged in cities across the continent to spread the financial load of hosting the tournament, European soccer's governing body UEFA said today.
The decision made today by UEFA's executive committee means no one country will be hosting the tournament.
The idea was floated by UEFA president Michel Platini some time ago amid concerns about the cost and capabilities of a single nation staging the tournament, and the logistical issues arising from joint bids, such as this year's tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
The English FA has already put Wembley forward as a potential venue for the latter stages of the tournament and will be hopeful of securing the showpiece matches. Ireland, Wales and Scotland will also be hopeful of staging games having already expressed an interest.
Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino told a press conference after today's meeting: "Some important decisions have been taken.
"Uefa Euro 2020 will be staged across the continent, in various major cities, following a decision taken today. A Euro for Europe follows an initial idea by Uefa president Michel Platini.
"The response has been extremely positive from all the national associations."
The specific format of the tournament has yet to be agreed upon, but ideas put forward include a single country staging the climax of the tournament including the semi-finals and final. This is understood to be the preference of Platini.
The bidding process for the host cities will start in March, with the decision on those that have been successful being announced in spring of 2014.
Holders Chelsea will face Premier League opposition in the third round of the FA Cup after Sunday's draw gave them a tricky start to their defence away to Southampton.
Last season's runners-up Liverpool will play at either Lincoln City or Mansfield Town, two former Football League clubs now playing their trade in the minor leagues of English soccer.
The big match of the round features West Ham United at home to Manchester United - one of four all Premier League clashes.
Queens Park Rangers, still without a win in the Premier League after 15 matches, are at home to West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City host Arsenal having beaten them 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the league on Saturday.
Premier League champions Manchester City, winners of the trophy in 2011, are at home to Championship (second division) side Watford.
Tottenham Hotspur host third tier Coventry City, reviving memories of the 1987 FA Cup final won by Coventry, while Newcastle United face a tough trip to play Brighton and Hove Albion of the Championship. Ties will take place on Jan 5-6.
Lionel Messi closed in on Gerd Mueller's scoring mark as Barcelona crushed Athletic Bilbao 5-1 to set a new record for the best ever start to a Spanish League season and stay 11 points clear of Real Madrid.
Barcelona has now put together 13 wins and a draw from its first 14 matches to beat the previous best start set by Real in the 1991-92 season.
Gerard Pique put the Catalan side ahead after 22 minutes followed quickly by Messi's first, which came off defender Fernando Amorebieta on the line, before Adriano Correia hit the third on the point of half-time. Cesc Fabregas then added to the deluge of goals and Ibai Gomez got a consolation before Messi struck again.
Messi is now just one goal off Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year set for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1972.
Barcelona had its first sight of goal with a low drive from Andres Iniesta after 12 minutes which keeper Gorka Iraizoz saved comfortably.
It got its breakthrough after a spell of pressure. Athletic failed to clear their lines from a corner and although Iraizoz repelled Fabregas' shot, Pique pounced on the rebound to knock it home.
Minutes later and Barcelona doubled its lead due in part to slack defending which has plagued Athletic's season.
Fernando Amorebieta failed to keep tight to Messi who slipped the ball past the keeper and a despairing dive from the defender only served to help the ball over the line.
Messi hit the post before Adriano burst in from the right and fired a Fabregas pass into the roof of the net. There was no let up after the restart and Iraizoz did well to block Messi but could do nothing to stop Fabregas who fired home an Iniesta pass.
Barcelona was guilty of easing off as Gomez pulled a goal back but Messi had the final say with his second.
