Barca's 3-1 victory, secured by the 45th hat-trick of Lionel Messi's career, not only moved them 12 points clear at the summit but saw them match Real Sociedad's all-time of 38 successive La Liga games without defeat
Ernesto Valverde
Coach Ernesto Valverde was quick to share the plaudits with his predecessor Luis Enrique after Barcelona equalled a La Liga record in their win over Leganes.
Barca's 3-1 victory, secured by the 45th hat-trick of Lionel Messi's career, not only moved them 12 points clear at the summit but saw them match Real Sociedad's all-time of 38 successive La Liga games without defeat. Sociedad set the record between 1979 and 1980 and Barca have also achieved it over two campaigns, with 31 this season.
While most of the run has been compiled under Valverde, the 54-year-old — who replaced Enrique — refused to take all the acclaim. "We have matched an all-time record and that is especially exciting for me. It's not easy to do something that hasn't been done for such a long time. But it's not just my record. It also belongs to Luis Enrique and everyone who played for the team last year," Valverde said.
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