An insatiable Lionel Messi scored for the eighth game in a row in all competitions as La Liga champions Barcelona saw off a gutsy Girona side 2-0 in a Catalan derby on Sunday to go five points clear at the top of the standings.

Portuguese fullback Nelson Semedo struck with his weaker left foot to send Barca into the lead in the ninth minute of the game, which was played on a rain-swept afternoon at Girona's Montilivi stadium after La Liga's ambitious plan to stage it in Miami fell through.

Girona missed a double chance to equalize shortly before the break, with Barca defender Gerard Pique clearing a shot off the line, and the home side's striker Cristhian Stuani was thwarted by the feet of German keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen early in the second period.

Girona, who had held Barca to a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp earlier in the season, had defender Bernardo Espinosa sent off in the 51st minute for a second booking.

Even with 10 men, they continued to cause problems for Barca's backline, with Ter Stegen again denying Stuani, who later appealed for a penalty after going down from a challenge from Jordi Alba.

Barca struck a fatal blow midway through the second half with a quick counter-attack which led to La Liga's top scorer Messi lofting the ball over keeper Bono to net his 19th league goal of the season, taking Barca on to 49 points after 21 games, five points ahead of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid.

Messi, who was rested for Barca's 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in a Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, has now scored at every La Liga ground he has played at, with the Argentine still to visit Huesca later in the campaign.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said his side were worthy winners, even though they had to withstand some hairy moments.

“We can't deny that for a few minutes after the sending-off they put us under a lot of pressure but it was only a matter of time before we scored again,” he said.

Bale back with a bang

Elsewhere, Gareth Bale needed just two minutes to mark his return from injury with a goal as 10-man Real Madrid held on for a 4-2 victory over Espanyol on Sunday.

Bale had been out since January 3 with a calf strain but made an instant impact off the bench at the RCDE Stadium, where Karim Benzema continued his own rich vein of form by scoring twice.

Sergio Ramos was also on target with a brilliant header before Leo Baptistao kept Espanyol in sight. Bale and Benzema seemed to have wrapped things up but Raphael Varane was sent off with 18 minutes left and substitute Roberto Rosales drove in to set up a nervy finish.

Madrid, however, survived for their fifth win in sixth matches, even if it was only enough to restore the 10-point difference behind Barcelona.

Barca, five points ahead of Atletico Madrid, keep winning but Real are gaining momentum, with the resumption of the Champions League just around the corner.

Bale's return will be particularly welcome for coach Santiago Solari.

"Gareth is happy," Solari said. "He came on and scored straight away, which is great for him and his confidence.

"Little by little he has to regain the form of before, like during the Club World Cup when he scored three goals. This is the Gareth we want to see, with that hunger to score goals."