Barcelona returned to their winning ways, running riot over Mallorca in the Camp Nou and dispatching their island visitors with a convincing 5-0 victory.

With the mid-week press in Spain centering on the goal-scoring drought of Barcelona and its brightest star, Leo Messi, the match against Mallorca offered a true litmus test for the Catalans. Having scored just one goal in two matches and Messi going goalless in his previous three, the critics emerged, questioning the squad’s ability to get results in the face of an injury crisis.

Those doubts were silenced on Saturday night, as a Leo Messi first half hat-trick powered Barcelona past a hapless Mallorca and into second place in La Liga standings.

The match began with reservations, five to be exact. Iniesta, Fabregas, Pique and Puyol watched from the bench, while Xavi took to the stands, omitted from the lineup card.

A curious 3-4-3 took the field with Keita, Busquets, Adriano and Thiago pulling the strings in the midfield and Isaac Cuenca getting his second official La Liga start for Barcelona on the right wing.

Barca wouldn’t miss a beat, threatening early and often. Keita nearly opened the count right off the bat, latching on to Thiago’s corner with a strong header, only to see it saved by Aouate.

Mallorca’s only attempt of the game would come moments later, when Victor, six yards out, failed to convert Gonzalo Castro’s cross.

They would pay the price in the thirteenth minute, as Messi’s looping pass was headed back into the area by Adriano, rebounding off Emilio Nsue’s elevated hand for a penalty decision.

Casting trepidation aside, Messi walked up to the spot, looked left and fired his kick into the upper corner. Breathing a sigh of relief, he strolled to the nearest camera and signaled 1-2-3 at the lens, winking for effect. He claimed it was a private celebration dedicated for a friend, but it served as a Nostradamus prediction of things to come.

David Villa nearly doubled the lead, forcing a fine save from Aouate before Messi made it two. A darting run by Isaac Cuenca saw him turn his man, reach the touchline and send in a weighted cross for Adriano, whose mishit across the face of goal found an unmarked Messi there for the tap-in.

He would complete his treble at the half-hour mark, timing his run to perfection and tucking away Dani Alves’s sumptuous cross past Aouate with a spectacular volley from the edge of the area. The little flea now has 13 league goals and 19 in all competitions this season.

Pique entered for Abidal in the second half, as Barcelona continued dominating possession, controlling 68% of the ball and probing for a fourth. Thiago headed wide early on, but it was 20 year-old Isaac Cuenca who would bag the fourth, claiming his first ever La Liga goal as a member of the senior team. After stationing himself out wide all match, he fooled his marker with a darting run through the center, collecting Adriano’s threaded pass, rounding the keeper and finishing top-shelf from a tight angle.

David Villa would give way to 17 year-old Gerrard Deulofeu, with the highly touted canterano making his debut appearance for Barcelona.

Aouate was called upon for another remarkable save, parrying away Messi’s rocketed free-kick in the 77th minute. The resulting corner was sent to Dani Alves, whose precise cross was met by Gerrard Pique in the box, but the Catalan’s back-heel effort, which beat the keeper, was brilliantly cleared off the line by Chico, keeping the score at 4-0.

Messi headed wide off a cross from Dani Alves before the Brazilian got in on the action in stoppage time, sending a dipping 25-yard strike off the underside of the crossbar and in for the fifth.

It was a solid team performance highlighting the depth of quality in the Barcelona squad. Without all the regulars, the values are still there. Adriano finished with two assists and a won penalty, while fellow Brazilian bash brother Dani Alves landed a goal and an assist.

Valdes recorded his eighth consecutive shutout and has now gone 787 minutes without conceding a goal. Only Miguel Reina, father of Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina, has gone more minutes without conceding a goal in a Barcelona uniform. His record of 824 minutes hangs in the balance, with Valdes needing just 37 more minutes to surpass him.

Here’s a scary statistic, in honor of our favorite pagan festival, Halloween: Barcelona have won by five goals or more five times already this season, four times in La Liga and once in the Champions League. This season, at home in La Liga play, their record reads: played six, won five, drawn one, scored 26, conceded none. Spooky numbers indeed for opposing sides…Visitors beware!

Article written by Barcaloco contributor Anson Woodring.  Follow Anson on Twitter at @ansonwoodring.

Full match highlights:

Barcelona – Mallorca 5-0 Highlights HD 29.10.2011 by iNfRaS0NiC