Barcelona extend their lead at the top of La Liga to four points but Real Betis give defending champions a late scare.

Ferran Torres hit a first-half hat-trick for Barcelona as they eased the woes on their travels with a 5-3 win in La Liga at Champions League chasing Real Betis.

The Spanish forward netted twice in the first 13 minutes of the game on Saturday – but not before the Seville-based hosts had opened the scoring through former Manchester United winger Antony.

Roony Bardghji slid home Barca’s third from just inside the box in the 31st minute.

Having netted with two close-range finishes early in the match, the second a well-executed volley, Torres then completed his hat-trick in the 40th minute with a deflected effort from outside the box.

Lamine Yamal appeared to have settled the match from the penalty spot in the 59th minute after Barca were controversially awarded the kick for handball.

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, a teammate of Antony’s for the entirety of the latter’s Old Trafford career, hit a drive from the edge of the box which struck the arm of Marc Bartra. Betis protested their man’s arm was tight to his body, which was struck first, but the referee was convinced, courtesy of a VAR intervention.

Betis had a sting in the tail still to come when Fernando Llorente pulled one back with five minutes to play, while Cucho Hernandez converted a penalty in the final minute of normal time.

Six minutes of added time, thereafter, was not enough for Betis to prize a tight finish and deny Barca their moment as they moved four points clear of Real Madrid, who play Celta Vigo on Sunday.

The rise of Torres has been remarkable as he has grown from a bench player to become Hansi Flick’s most-used striker. The forward has more starts than Robert Lewandowski, who, at 37, is seeing his playing time reduced.

Torres leads Barcelona in scoring with 13 goals, 11 coming in La Liga. Only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, with 16, has more goals in the domestic league.

Lewandowski and Raphinha never left the bench for Barcelona. That will leave both rested for when Barcelona host Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Fermín Lopez, meanwhile, returned as a second-half substitute after the Barcelona midfielder missed two games with a leg injury.

Elsewhere, Tajon Buchanan and Georges Mikautadze scored to help Villarreal beat Getafe 2-0 and stay in third place, one point behind Madrid.

Alaves upset Real Sociedad 1-0 in a Basque Country regional derby.