BARCELONA (AP) ― Lionel Messi and Neymar both scored to help Barcelona come from behind twice to beat Villarreal 3-2 and stay in the hunt for the Spanish league title on Sunday.

Messi and Neymar netted their 22nd and 15th league goals of the season respectively as Luis Enrique’s Barcelona never lost its nerve, and answered sixth-place Villarreal goal for goal to end the visitor’s club record run of 18 games without a loss.

“With those guys up front, it can’t get any better,” said midfielder Rafina, who took full advantage of a rare start to score Barcelona’s other goal.

Villarreal’s Denis Cheryshev struck on the half-hour mark to start the free-scoring match at Camp Nou.

Neymar made it 1-1 just before halftime, only for Luciano Vietto to finish off another Villarreal counterattack in the 51st.

But Barcelona hit back, and this time delivered a quick and decisive double blow.

Rafina pulled the hosts level for a second time in the 53rd, and two minutes later Messi fired home a long-range shot ― his 32nd goal in 30 games in all competitions this season.

Villarreal, however, didn’t fade and both sides provided a thrilling second half of back-and-forth action that bodes well for their Copa del Rey semifinal starting in two weeks.

Barcelona has won eight in a row and stayed one point behind leader Real Madrid, which has a game in hand against Sevilla on Wednesday.


England

The fight for Champions League qualification from the Premier League intensified Sunday, with Arsenal dismantling Aston Villa in its biggest win of the season and Southampton surrendering third place after a surprise home loss to Swansea.

Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott ― starting their first league games after long injury lay-offs ― were among Arsenal’s five different scorers in a 5-0 win at Emirates Stadium, continuing the free-scoring form of Arsene Wenger’s team and leaving relegation-threatened Villa with an unwanted record.

For the first time in its 141-year history, Villa has gone six league games without a goal.

Arsenal stayed fifth but is now level on points with Southampton, which failed to translate its dominance into goals before being caught out by Jonjo Shelvey’s 83rd-minute shot in a 1-0 defeat.

Only five points separate third-place Manchester United and seventh-place Liverpool with 15 games remaining, in what is shaping up to be a scramble for the final two Champions League spots behind the top two of Chelsea and Manchester City.

A miserable afternoon for Villa began when Ozil flicked a long pass through to Olivier Giroud, who surged clear and chipped the goalkeeper in the eighth. The roles were reversed in the 56th, Giroud playing in Ozil for the Germany playmaker to slot a low finish into the corner.

In the final half hour, Walcott finished off a counterattack, Santi Cazorla converted a penalty and right back Hector Bellerin completed the rout in injury time.