Lionel Messi was honoured to equal Xavi's record as Barcelona's all-time leading appearance-maker as he inspired the LaLiga challengers to a 4-1 win over Huesca on Monday.

Messi was the star of the show at Camp Nou, scoring two goals and setting up Oscar Mingueza as rock-bottom Huesca struggled to contend with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

His brace took him to 21 for the season in LaLiga, with 14 of those scored since January 1 – in that time, Messi's 13 goals from open play means he has out-performed his xG value by 6.6.

The first goal of the day secured a slice of history for Messi, who became first player in LaLiga history to net 20 times in 13 successive league campaigns.

Messi also had 124 touches of the ball on Monday, the most he has recorded in a single league game this term, further proof of his exceptional influence.

But the most significant stat of all was the fact Messi was playing his 767th game for Barca across all competitions, bringing him level with club great Xavi – he can set a new record at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Reacting to the achievement after the game, Messi wrote on Instagram: "It is a great honour to reach this number of games played for Barcelona.

"Thanks to all of the colleagues who have accompanied me in these years, and to my family and friends for always being by my side."

This time last year, Pedri was playing in La Segunda with Las Palmas – now he is a regular alongside Messi in the Barca first-team.

Many are tipping the youngster – who earlier on Monday received his first senior Spain call-up – to have a long and illustrious career at the club, and who knows, potentially even get close to 767 of his own Barca appearances.

But for now, he is just relishing seeing Messi in the flesh, soaking it all in as he paid tribute to the Argentinian.

"I enjoy every game and every training session of Messi," he said. "I try to find him because he is the best and he shows it every game.

"Every time he touches the ball something can happen and that is why I look for him. It is crazy what he is achieving - he is the best in the world."

The win over Huesca moved Barca to within four points of leaders Atletico Madrid, who have only won two of their previous five league games.

Barca are now second in the table and have not lost since early December.

Lionel Messi scored two gorgeous goals befitting the occasion as he moved level with Xavi as Barcelona's all-time record appearance-maker in Monday's 4-1 win over Huesca, moving the Blaugrana up to second in LaLiga.

The Barca captain was playing his 767th match for the club across all competitions and opened the scoring as Ronald Koeman's men closed the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to four points, though there were a few scares along the way.

Messi's sumptuous effort got the ball rolling, as Barcelona's talisman became the first player in LaLiga history to net 20 goals in 13 successive campaigns, and Antoine Griezmann scored an arguably even better effort soon after for his 150th top-flight strike.

A farcical penalty allowed Huesca to pull one back through Rafa Mir, who also inexplicably wasted a remarkable opportunity in the wake of Oscar Mingueza making it 3-1, and Messi finished them off towards the end with another fine goal.

The game was just 13 minutes old when Messi made his mark, effortlessly bending a 20-yard effort around Alvaro Fernandez and into the top-left corner via the crossbar.

Jordi Alba almost made it 2-0 just past the half-hour when his shot from a tight angle was kept out by the frame of the goal, but two minutes later Griezmann picked out the same corner as Messi but from about 10 yards further out – his first league goal since the end of January.

Huesca got themselves a lifeline in bizarre circumstances just before the break, Mir converting a penalty after Marc-Andre ter Stegen was deemed to have fouled him when essentially brushing the striker's shin with his hand, the ball having flashed past both of them.

Barca restored the two-goal lead early in the second period, Mingueza getting his head to a Messi to open his account for the senior side.

Huesca should have reduced the deficit again a few moments later, though, as Mir somehow nudged the ball over the goal from under the crossbar with his chest after latching on to Dani Escriche's header across goal.

Messi capped off a wonderful individual display with his second goal in the 90th minute, receiving Francisco Trincao's pass and elegantly picking out the bottom-left corner from just outside the box.

Alex de Minaur's tough run of form continued as he let a set lead slip to lose to Jeremy Chardy at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

De Minaur, the ninth seed in Dubai, won his first tournament of 2021 in Antalya in January.

However, the Australian's results since then have rapidly declined and his latest loss - 2-6 6-3 6-4 to Chardy - means he is 3-5 since his title in Turkey.

De Minaur seized his first two break points against Chardy, yet the next four came and went while his opponent proved clinical, taking his only two opportunities and snatching victory.

The Frenchman, who reached the semi-finals in Antalya and again at an ATP 250 event in Melbourne prior to the Australian Open, said: "I've played good since the beginning of the year.

"It is always easier to play when you are confident. If you play a bad set, it is never finished. I stayed focused and tried to find a solution."

It was not a successful start to the week for De Minaur's compatriots either, as John Millman was among three other Aussies to crash out.

Christopher O'Connell missed the chance to set up a meeting with Dominic Thiem as Lloyd Harris advanced, and qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori saw off Jordan Thompson ahead of facing Andrey Rublev.

Marton Fucsovics was back in action after handing a walkover to Rublev, the same man who had previously beaten him to the Rotterdam Open title, in Qatar last week.

He defeated Vasek Pospisil in three sets, while there was a milestone win for Richard Gasquet, another man unable to line up against Rublev in Doha.

A 6-4 6-2 win over Marco Cecchinato was his 550th on the ATP Tour, making him only the sixth active player to that mark after the 'big four' of Roger Federer (1,243), Rafael Nadal (1,008), Novak Djokovic (943) and Andy Murray (677) and Spain's Fernando Verdasco (552).

"I am feeling great here," Gasquet said. "I know this court well. I played well last year. It is a fast court. I like to play on it.

"It is important to serve well and it was a great match. I started well, feeling confident and winning the first set, and then I played better in the second set."

Lionel Messi became the first player to score 20 LaLiga goals in 13 successive campaigns as he found the breakthough superbly against Huesca on Monday.

It was already a historic outing for Messi, who equalled Xavi's all-time record of 767 Barcelona appearances.

And the 33-year-old moved on to 20 goals in 25 top-flight appearances this season by clipping home a superb strike from the edge of the box, via the underside of the crossbar after 13 minutes at Camp Nou

No other player has scored 20 or more times in the competition in 13 seasons in a row.

Indeed, Messi was the only player to have hit 20 goals in 12 consecutive LaLiga campaigns – a feat he achieved that by netting in a 4-0 win over Mallorca in June 2020.

Lionel Messi has matched Xavi's record for the most appearances for Barcelona in all competitions.

The club captain started Monday's LaLiga match with Huesca, taking him to 767 games for the club he first joined as a 12-year-old.

Messi already boasts the record for the most trophies won (34) and most goals scored (658) for Barca.

The 33-year-old and former midfielder Xavi are the only players in the club's history to have surpassed 700 games for the Catalans, with Andres Iniesta next on the all-time appearance list on 674.

To date, Messi has featured in 510 LaLiga matches, while playing 149 Champions League fixtures, 79 Copa del Rey games, 20 in the Supercopa de Espana, five in the Club World Cup and four in the UEFA Super Cup.

Speaking before the Huesca game, head coach Ronald Koeman described it as "an incredible number of games".

"That also shows what Xavi did for the club, and now Messi will equal the number games of Xavi," he said.

"It will be a great day and then the next that will be one more than Xavi achieved with Barcelona. It is incredible because that shows how important he is and was for Barcelona.

"The number of games, the number of goals, the number of hat-tricks, the number of titles.

"Let's hope that we will continue with Leo, winning titles, what he showed and what he did for this club."

Messi tops LaLiga's goalscoring charts this season with 19 as Barca look to close within four points of leaders Atletico Madrid.

The Argentina star has been involved in five goals in two games against Huesca in LaLiga (two goals and three assists), including two goals and two assists in his only league appearance against them at Camp Nou.

Barcelona have gone 16 games without losing in LaLiga (W13 D3) – the best current unbeaten streak of any team in Eurppe's five major leagues.

Jelena Ostapenko wasted little time in her opening match at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, while there were also wins for Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Vera Zvonareva in Monday's action. 

Ostapenko needed less than an hour to get past Paula Badosa, who caused an upset when the pair met at last year's delayed French Open. 

There was to be no Roland Garros repeat for Badosa, though, as she was swept aside 6-2 6-2.  

The sixth-seeded Ostapenko started her campaign impressively in Russia, producing 26 winners and just eight unforced errors. Her serve was also in good order, never giving her opponent a chance of a break. 

Sasnovich had to work a little harder, rallying from a set down to see off Ana Bogdan 2-6 6-2 6-1. Her reward is a clash with third seed Fiona Ferro, who received a bye through to the second round.

Zvonareva, meanwhile, progressed in straight sets against Arina Rodionova, the Russian dropping just four games during a contest that lasted one hour and 22 minutes.  

Victory was sealed at the second opportunity, a sliced backhand into the net by her opponent sending Zvonareva through to the last 32. 

Manchester City's title chances look as guaranteed as a John Stones goal right now (four in 10 games!), but things are otherwise heating up nicely in the Premier League – and not just for Michael Oliver.

Jose Mourinho turned on the referee after Tottenham lost the north London derby to Arsenal, his sit-deep-and-score-a-rabona masterplan somehow failing to yield three points.

David Moyes endured another unhappy outing at Old Trafford, his West Ham side showing commendable generosity towards Manchester United by hitting all of their shots wide apart from a Craig Dawson header at the wrong end.

There was also a rotten introduction to Premier League life for interim Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom, as Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy added his name to a special group of golden oldies.

And as for Chelsea... well, they've swapped entertainment for that distinctly boring approach of accruing points without losing matches. Yawn.

Derby tale suffers Oliver twist

Erik Lamela's spectacular goal against Arsenal seemed all the more impudent given Spurs had done everything they could to avoid attacking until that point.

Still, not content with the prospect of a match-winning contribution off the bench, Lamela decided two yellow cards in the space of six minutes was truly the way to mark a north London derby cameo.

The Argentina international became the 91st player in Premier League history to score and be sent off in the same match, but only the fifth to manage it as a substitute, after Hal Robson-Kanu, Ivan Klasnic, Bobby Zamora and David Lee.

It wasn't the red card that had Mourinho riled, though, but the penalty from which Alexandre Lacazette scored the winner. Suggesting referee Oliver, like Spurs, was feeling fatigued from Europa League exploits, Mourinho opined: "Normally, I am very unlucky with him because my record with him on penalties is astonishing. Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, it does not matter the club. I am very unlucky with such a good referee."

Oliver has awarded six penalties and two red cards against Mourinho in 21 Premier League games, just ahead of Mike Dean, with three reds and four penalties in 29 Mourinho league matches.

Slack Hammers

When Dawson's own goal put United 1-0 up against West Ham 53 minutes in, it struck Moyes that seven defensive players and no shots was not the best way to go about beating his old side.

The Hammers promptly responded with seven attempts on Dean Henderson's goal, not one of which troubled the United keeper. It was the highest number of shots they have attempted in a Premier League match without hitting the target since a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City in August 2013, when all nine of their efforts were wayward.

Still, that doesn't even come close to the 'record' in this particular category. Since 2003-04, the team to attempt the highest number of shots without hitting the target is Watford, who fired in 23 errant efforts from 10 different players against Hull City in October 2016.

Perhaps feeling sorry for them, Michael Dawson promptly scored an own goal to gift the Hornets a 1-0 win.

Blades might take a Wilder recover

Sheffield United's decision to part company with Chris Wilder certainly made a big difference at Leicester.

The Blades were battered 5-0 at the King Power Stadium in a resoundingly one-sided contest, their biggest league loss in 21 years. Shipping five goals in their first post-Wilder match was a real statement: in 227 games under their old boss, they conceded five times just once, in a 5-4 loss to Fulham in November 2017. And they never lost by more than a three-goal margin.

All in all, it was a rather grim introduction to top-flight management for Heckingbottom. United's interim manager became just the third man in Premier League history to lose by five or more goals in his first game in charge, following in the footsteps of Alan Smith in 1994 (Crystal Palace 1-6 Liverpool) and Roberto Di Matteo in 2010 (West Brom 0-6 Chelsea).

Leicester striker Vardy got two assists to pass 100 direct goal involvements in the Premier League since his 30th birthday (81 scored, 20 assisted). Only five players had previously reached that tally after turning 30: Teddy Sheringham (127), Frank Lampard (118), Ian Wright (110), Alan Shearer (102) and Gianfranco Zola (101).

Brilliantly boring Blues

Chelsea's goalless draw at Leeds was not exactly thrill-a-minute stuff, but it did highlight just how distinctly difficult it's become to beat the Blues under Thomas Tuchel.

They have conceded just two goals in 10 Premier League games under the German, equalling the record set by Mourinho in his first 10 games in 2004-05. Tuchel is yet to taste defeat in 12 games since taking over at Stamford Bridge, matching the club record for the longest unbeaten start set by Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Chelsea were comfortably in control at Elland Road, limiting Leeds to 38.1 per cent of the possession, their lowest figure in any of their 120 league games under Marcelo Bielsa. However, with great authority comes a great lack of entertainment: Chelsea have had three goalless draws in the league under Tuchel, one more than they did in 57 matches under Frank Lampard.

And really – who would swap fun for the top four? Oh, everyone? Fair enough.

Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig were kept apart in the draw for the DFB-Pokal semi-finals on Monday.

Dortmund will go up against Holstein Kiel hoping to avoid suffering the same fate as holders Bayern Munich, who were knocked out of the competition by the second-tier side.  

In the other tie, Leipzig – who sit second in the Bundesliga – will take on the winner of the quarter-final clash between Regensburg and Werder Bremen, which is scheduled to be played on April 7. 

Bayern have lifted the trophy in the previous two campaigns, including beating Leipzig 3-0 in the 2019 final. 

However, their hopes of triumphing again were dashed by Kiel, who scored a dramatic late equaliser in the second-round tie before going on to seal a famous win on penalties. 

Dortmund, winners in 2017, will host Kiel on Saturday, May 1. Leipzig will be in action the following day, with the final set for May 13 in Berlin.

The NBA's top-ranked defense will be aiming to slow down the leading offense when the New York Knicks make the short trip to play the Brooklyn Nets. 

The in-form Nets have won 12 of their previous 13 games to rise up the Eastern Conference, the impressive run of form leaving them just a game back of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lead the way in the standings. 

But while they were always expected to be near the summit, particularly following the arrival of James Harden from the Houston Rockets, the Knicks have been one of the surprise packages so far. 

A first playoff appearance since 2013 is a distinct possibility, with coach Tom Thibodeau building solid foundations for a franchise that has chopped and changed in the hope of finding success.

TOP PERFORMERS

New York Knicks - Julius Randle

Randle has excelled since moving to the Big Apple, leading to a first All-Star appearance this year. The seventh overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014 averages 22.9 points and 11 rebounds through 39 games, as well as 5.7 assists.  

His 375 defensive rebounds puts him inside the top three in the league, while he has also contributed 31 steals as the Knicks have tightened up under Thibodeau.  

Having registered a season-low seven points as the Knicks returned from the All-Star break with a lopsided loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Randle bounced back with 26 in a resounding triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

Brooklyn Nets - James Harden

Since joining the Nets, Harden has recorded nine triple-doubles, the latest of them coming in a 100-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday that saw him score his team's final 10 points of the contest.  

While he was the focal point for Houston, the two-time MVP no longer has to carry the offensive burden in the same way for star-studded Brooklyn. He is shooting at a career-high 48.9 per cent from the field though, while his improved success from deep (39.7 per cent) has been noticeable.  

Harden has also demonstrated his ability as a passer too, his tally of 363 assists comfortably the most by any player, averaging out at a whopping 11 a game.

KEY BATTLE - A CASE FOR THE DEFENSE

The continued absence of Kevin Durant has not prevented the Nets from putting up points. They average 120.6 a game, while their combined field goal percentage of 49.9 is also the best by any team in the NBA.  

However, the Knicks have given up a league-low 105 points per outing. Randle and his fellow big men will look to dominate when it comes to rebounding, while the visitors will hope to get better at capitalising on turnovers – their average of 14 points when gaining possession in such circumstances ranks them 29th out of 30 teams.  

"It starts with our effort, our defense, those are the most important things," Immanuel Quickley, who has impressed in his rookie season, averaging 12.5 points, said ahead of the game. 

"We try to have that defensive mindset coming into games, then let everything take care of itself. The little things – defense, rebounding, energy, effort – give you a chance to win every night." 

HEAD TO HEAD 

These neighbours have met in 200 regular-season games, the Knicks narrowly leading 101-99 overall. 

Last season's four-game series was split 2-2, while the Nets prevailed 116-10 in January of this year, Durant – who has missed Brooklyn's last 11 games due to a heal issue – leading the way with 26 points in the absence of Kyrie Irving and with the Harden trade yet to be completed.  

Pedri and Bryan Gil are among four players to have been called up to the Spain squad for the first time for March's World Cup qualifiers.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri and winger Gil, on loan at Eibar from Sevilla, have been rewarded for their performances in breakthrough seasons in LaLiga.

Head coach Luis Enrique has also called up Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Sporting CP defender Pedro Porro for the first time.

There is a return for Barca left-back Jordi Alba, who last played for La Roja in September 2019 in a Euro 2020 qualifying win over Romania.

Leeds United's Diego Llorente and Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara are also back in the 24-man squad.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been left out, along with Tottenham left-back Sergio Reguilon and Wolves winger Adama Traore.

Villarreal defender Pau Torres, Jesus Navas of Sevilla and Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino are omitted along with Barca duo Sergi Roberto and Ansu Fati, who are recovering from injury.

Spain face Greece in Granada on March 25 before taking on Georgia in Tbilisi three days later. They then host Kosovo in Seville on March 31.

Spain squad:

David de Gea (Manchester United), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion); Pedro Porro (Sporting CP), Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Diego Llorente (Leeds United), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Gaya (Valencia); Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodrigo (Manchester City), Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool), Pedri (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Canales (Real Betis), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli); Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Bryan Gil (Eibar), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig).

Western Sydney Wanderers moved up to second in the standings after overcoming Wellington Phoenix 4-3 in an A-League thriller on Monday.  

Visitors Wellington led three times at Bankwest Stadium but on each occasion were pegged back by their opponents, who saw substitute Kwame Yeboah hit an 84th-minute winner to settle an eventful contest in their favour. 

Phoenix captain Ulises Davila opened the scoring in the seventh minute, only for Daniel Wilmering's first A-League goal – coming in his 16th appearance – to draw Western Sydney level midway through the half.  

Cameron Devlin's long-range stunner had the away side 2-1 ahead at the break, meaning Wellington have now managed five goals from outside the penalty area during the campaign – a tally only Brisbane Roar can match.  

While Jordon Mutch responded seven minutes into the second half, the hosts once again fell behind when Tomer Hemed converted a penalty following Dylan McGowan's foul on Reno Piscopo.  

Parity was restored less 93 seconds later, though, as Mitchell Duke produced a moment of magic, taking a long pass from Mutch on his chest before swivelling to volley in from the edge of the area.  

Yeboah's curling finish eventually secured all three points for Western Sydney, though only after an offside check ruled out a dramatic equaliser from Hemed deep into stoppage time.

Stephen Curry has "revolutionised basketball" as the point guard continues to show he is back to his best for the Golden State Warriors this season.  

Curry saw his 2019-20 campaign ruined by a hand injury, restricting him to just five games. Already without Kevin Durant, who had left to join the Brooklyn Nets, and Klay Thompson, the Warriors unsurprisingly went from NBA finalists to bottom of the pile in the Western Conference.  

However, the return of their talismanic point guard has helped improve fortunes for a franchise that has become accustomed to challenging for the title.  

Still without fellow 'Splash Brother' Thompson, who is sidelined again for another season, Curry has stepped up to carry the load.  

He is averaging 29.3 points while playing 34 minutes per game. His tally of 176 made three-pointers is comfortably the most in the league, and he is shooting an impressive 41.1 per cent from deep, even while having a target on his back as opposing teams focus on shutting him down.  

What makes it so hard to keep a lid on Curry, though, is his ability to get a bucket from anywhere, including from off the court during pre-game warm-ups.

Anderson Varejao believes his former Golden State team-mate has changed the game by extending the range for shooters, starting a trend that others have since followed in the league. 

"Steph Curry is a guy who trains so much," Varejao, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for over a decade before joining the Warriors, told Stats Perform News. 

"All that stuff he does, shooting the ball from mid-court, he revolutionised basketball.   

"In the past, if a player, in a counter-attack, stopped and shot, the coach would look at him, if not take him out.

"Many times, players left the game even after hitting the ball in the basket, like, 'hey, what are you doing? Are you crazy? We don't play like that'.   

"But nowadays he is a guy that shoots all the time, and you have to understand it, as a coach. He shoots three, four, five steps before the three-point line."

Curry turned 33 on Sunday and is fast approaching 750 regular-season games for the Warriors, a team who hit the jackpot when selecting the Davidson standout with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft.  

However, having had an enforced year off, there is little sign of him slowing down. Indeed, his numbers this season have seen him included in the MVP conversation, an award he won in 2015 and 2016.  

He celebrated his birthday with six three-pointers in the Warriors' impressive win over the Utah Jazz, finishing with 32 points and nine assists to help the team bounce back from a disappointing defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers following the All-Star break.  

"It's like that ageing wine, right? Keep it in the cellar and watch it get stronger and better. I'm just enjoying the ride," he told NBC Sports after silencing the Jazz, the last team to reach double digits for losses this season.  

Curry's play has the Warriors hovering around .500 and in the playoff picture. There is still a long way to go yet this season, but the face of the franchise is certainly all the way back after a lost year in his hall-of-fame career.