Barcelona scored five times in the first 28 minutes on the way to thrashing Atletico Madrid 6-1 on an incredible night at the Nou Camp.
Rafa Marquez, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi put the locals three up inside eight minutes as the game got off to an explosive start.
Maxi Rodriguez pulled one back for Atletico five minutes later, but Eto'o restored Barca's three-goal advantage shortly afterwards and Eidur Gudjohnsen added a fifth for the home side short of the half-hour mark.
The second half was less intense, but Thierry Henry wrapped up a brilliant Barcelona win with his side's sixth after 73 minutes.
The rout began in the third minute, when Marquez rose superbly to head Xavi's free-kick past Gregory Coupet.
Two minutes later, things got even worse for Atletico when Czech Republic defender Tomas Ujfalusi brought down Messi in the area and Barcelona were awarded a penalty.
Eto'o stepped up to fire the spot-kick past Coupet, who went the right way but could do nothing to prevent the Cameroon striker from doubling Barca's lead.
The France goalkeeper was at fault for Barcelona's third goal, however.
The former Lyon stopper was still lining up his wall on one side of his goal when Messi cheekily curled a free-kick into the other corner.
The Argentina winger celebrated with a broad grin, but Atletico will not have seen the funny side.
The visitors did pull a goal back shortly afterwards, though, when Maxi crashed a blistering drive past Victor Valdes from the edge of the box.
But the Argentina midfielder soon limped off and Barca quickly restored their three-goal cushion when Eto'o turned the hapless Ujfalusi and angled a trademark clinical finish past Coupet.
The Catalans had the ball in the net again after 24 minutes but Gudjohnsen's strike was ruled out because Andres Iniesta was in an offside position when he received the ball in the build-up.
However, the same two players combined to put Barcelona 5-1 ahead shortly afterwards.
Iniesta's long-range shot hit a post, but the rebound fell to the unmarked Gudjohnsen, who gratefully fired into an empty net.
Barcelona also lost some intensity in the second half, but the Nou Camp faithful were able to celebrate one more goal as substitute Henry finished a move he started himself with a lovely low drive which gave Coupet no chance.
Barcelona move provisionally into second place, three points behind Villarreal who beat Real Betis 2-1 earlier in the day.
Atletico, meanwhile, sit four points further back in seventh.
Villarreal 2 (Gonzalo 69, Llorente 70)
Real Betis 1 (Damia 20)
Barcelona 6 (Marquez 3, Eto'o 6p, 18, Messi 8, Gudjohnsen 28, Henry 73)
Atletico Madrid 1 (Rodriguez 13)