Lamine Yamal scored his first senior hat-trick as FC Barcelona powered past Villarreal CF 4-1 at the Camp Nou, moving provisionally four points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Jules Kounde endured a mixed start to proceedings. The defender initially did well to divert a dangerous cross from Sergi Cardona behind, but moments later squandered a golden opportunity after being played through by Fermin Lopez, blazing over when well placed.

It was left to a player nearly a decade younger to demonstrate clinical finishing. After Pape Gueye was dispossessed under pressure by Fermin, the midfielder threaded a precise pass through the heart of Villarreal’s defence for Yamal, who calmly slotted into the bottom-left corner.

If his first was composed, his second was spectacular. Shortly after Ayoze Perez had a goal ruled out for offside, Barcelona broke forward again. Another incisive ball from Fermin released Yamal, who skipped past two defenders from a tight angle before unleashing a thunderous strike into the top-left corner to double his tally.

Barcelona nearly extended their lead before half-time when Raphinha saw a well-struck free-kick tipped away at full stretch by Luiz Junior.

With Barcelona having scored 16 unanswered LaLiga home goals by that point, it appeared Villarreal would need something extraordinary to shift the momentum. They found a lifeline just three minutes into the second half. Following a corner delivered by Nicolas Pepe, the hosts failed to clear their lines, and the ball fell kindly to Gueye, who swept home to make amends for his earlier mistake.

That goal injected belief into the visitors, and they should have closed the gap further when Ayoze Pérez somehow missed an open goal after Pau Navarro’s strong challenge on Yamal launched a rapid counterattack, with Joan Garcia stranded off his line.

However, Villarreal’s renewed attacking intent left them exposed at the back, and Yamal capitalised with 20 minutes remaining to complete his hat-trick. Latching onto an opportunistic pass from Pedri, the teenager darted into the box and rifled a superb finish into the far corner from another narrow angle.

With the contest effectively settled, Barcelona comfortably saw out the closing stages. There was still time for a fourth goal, as Robert Lewandowski tapped in from close range after Koundé squared the ball across the face of goal.

Attention now turns to the Bernabéu, where Real Madrid CF face Getafe, while Villarreal – despite missing the chance to become the first side since Real Madrid in the 1960s to win three consecutive away games against Barcelona – remain nine points clear inside the top four for the time being.