Messi, Pedri Combination Fires Barcelona Past Athletic

Lionel Messi combines incredibly well with teenager Pedri to inspire Barcelona to a 3-2 away win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

Barcelona chose midweek to play one of their two outstanding matches, traveling to San Mames in Basque territory to claim all three points. This takes them to third on the La Liga standings.

Wait for that Messi and Pedri link-up for Barcelona's second goal ?pic.twitter.com/mB11E9GnkF

— Goal (@goal) January 6, 2021

The visitors trailed an early Inaki Williams strike at San Mames but responded with an incisive attacking performance that had Messi at the start of it.

It was Messi's cross that led to Pedri's equalizer and then the Argentinian could have had a hat-trick, only for VAR and the woodwork to intervene.

READ ALSO: La Liga: Barcelona Defeat Leader, Real Sociedad 2-1, Title Race Open

But this was a scintillating display from the 33-year-old, his best of the season so far, at a time when his future at Barcelona remains up in the air.

His double helped Barca reduce the gap behind La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid to seven points, even if Atletico will be hard to catch, given they also have two games in hand.

Only a late mistake took some shine off Messi's night, a poor pass allowing Iker Muniain to score and make the result look closer than it was.

Bilbao had scored in the third minute and the 90th, each time exposing Barcelona's defensive frailties that remain unsolved.

Yet in between, Ronald Koeman's team was able to dictate the match and demonstrate why going forward they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Pedri was excellent again, his pinpoint backheel for Messi's first goal another indication of the 18-year-old's talent and his understanding with his captain.

Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, enjoyed one of those explosive nights where his speed, invention, and confidence made him look every bit like one of the world's most exciting players.

Dembele was almost unplayable, drifting inside one minute and darting forward the next but it was Pedri's vision that created Barca's second.

Bilbao were playing their first game under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, who led Valencia to win the last completed Copa del Rey by beating Barca in the final.

He was springing off the bench and clenching his fists in the third minute after Williams raced in behind, touching inside the scrambling Clement Lenglet before driving home.

But Barcelona were angry and would not want a repetition of history not even at this point of the season

Sergino Dest should have scored after a neat exchange between Messi and Antoine Griezmann before Pedri did, Messi's looping cross to the back post cushioned back by Frenkie De Jong across for Pedri to nod in.

Griezmann was denied after more good work by Dembele while Messi had a goal ruled out and then nicked the crossbar with a curling effort from distance.

Bilbao were still in it and might have equalised early in the second half, with the lively Williams and Raul Garcia both going close.

Yet their hopes were dashed just after the hour when Messi struck again. He sent the ball wide to Griezmann via Pedri and when the pass came to the near post Messi was there to blast it in off the crossbar.