( CNN ) Barcelona took full advantage of arch-rival Real Madrid 's humiliating derby defeat to close the gap in the La Liga title race to just one point with thrilling 5-2 win over Athletic Bilbao Sunday . Lionel Messi gave Barca the perfect start by grabbing his 33rd goal of the season and had a hand in his team 's other four goals at the San Memes stadium . Messi 's opener had a touch of fortune as it came from a deflected free-kick and he set up Luis Suarez for the Uruguay forward to double the advantage before halftime . Athletic refused to lie down and Mikel Rico pulled a goal back on the hour mark before Messi 's goalbound header was then turned into his own net by Oscar de Marcos . The Catalan giants went 4-1 ahead when Neymar scored his 23rd of the season , Messi again with the assist . Aritz Aduriz pulled another goal back for Athletic but the home team 's hopes ended when Xabier Etxeita was shown a straight red card for a nasty challenge on Suarez before Pedro Rodriguez added a fifth . It was the ninth straight win for Barca , who will have taken heart from seeing Real thrashed 4-0 by reigning champions Atletico Madrid Saturday . Man Utd held . Barcelona 's fellow European powerhouses Manchester United missed the opportunity to close up in the English Premier League title race when it was held 1-1 at West Ham . The home side looked set to secure all three points after a superb piece of skill from Senegal 's Cheikhou Kouyate just after half time at Upton Park . He turned and volleyed home to put the Hammers ahead , but United kept battling and Daley Blind crashed home an equalizer in injury time . United 's Luke Shaw was then sent off for a second yellow card and the draw leaves Louis van Gaal 's team in fourth spot -- one point clear of Tottenham Hotspur , whose 2-1 win over Arsenal was the highlight of Saturday 's program . In other EPL action , former England striker Peter Crouch scored a late equalizer as Stoke City drew 1-1 at Newcastle in a mid-table clash , while relegation battlers Burnley and West Bromwich Albion shared four goals . Roma closes gap . In Serie A , AS Roma closed the gap on leaders Juventus to seven points with a 2-1 win at Cagliari . It took a late winner from Leandro Paredes to give Rudi Garcia 's men a first win after four league draws . Napoli consolidated third place with a 3-1 home win over Udinese , while Samuel Eto ' o made his debut for Sampdoria off the bench but his new team was held 1-1 by Sassuolo to stay fifth .
Barcelona beats Athletic Bilbao 5-2 in La Liga clash . Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on target for Barca as it cuts gap to Real Madrid . The first leg of the Spanish league final is played at Camp Nou on Sunday night. Roma closes gap on Juventus in Italy to seven points .