Chalien Dantes/Contributor

Ferran Torres scored a first half hat trick as Barcelona pulled away at the top of La Liga with a 5-3 victory over Real Betis at Estadio La Cartuja.

Barça arrived with only a one-point cushion over Real Madrid but were stunned early when former Manchester United winger Antony struck six minutes in. The setback didn’t last long. Five minutes later, Torres tapped in a crisp team move to level the score, and two minutes after that he smashed home a sharp volley to flip the match completely.

Barcelona kept rolling. Roony Bardghji, just 20 years old, collected a clever pass from Pedri and finished at the near post for his first La Liga goal, stretching the lead. Torres completed his treble before the break with a precise strike from outside the box, giving Barça a comfortable 4-1 advantage.

The second half brought more drama. VAR ruled that a Marc Bartra block deflected onto his hand, and Lamine Yamal calmly converted the penalty for his sixth goal of the season. Betis pulled one back through Diego Llorente in the 85th minute, and added another late when Jules Kounde brought down Abde Ezzalzouli, allowing Cucho Hernández to score from the spot.

Despite the late goals, Barcelona walked away with the points, now four clear at the top after a night driven by Torres’ brilliance.