Lionel Messi scored a brace as Barcelona eased past Las Palmas 3-0 on a surreal afternoon at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
The match was played behind closed doors after earlier calls for it to be suspended due to the political climate in Catalonia on Sunday.
There was tension across Catalonia throughout the morning as Spanish police attempted to shut down various polling stations as the region held a referendum, which had been deemed illegal by the Spanish government, on its independence.
That led to calls for Barca to postpone their game with Las Palmas because of fears that there would not be adequate policing for the match. The club announced shortly before kickoff that the match would take place but with no fans in attendance.
And when the game did kick off, it was Sergio Busquets who opened the scoring for the La Liga leaders, heading home Messi's corner at the near post in the 49th minute.
Lionel Messi added a second in the 70th minute, expertly rounding goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola after collecting a through ball from Denis Suarez.
And the Barcelona star completed his double seven minutes later, sliding home Luis Suarez's pass behind the defence from close range.
The win keeps the Catalan club unblemished in La Liga play, with 21 points from seven matches, while Las Palmas remain on six points.
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