MADRID,
Barcelona overcame the absence of Lionel Messi to win 2-0 at basement club Malaga on Saturday as goals from Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho sent the Catalans 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.

Messi missed a league game for the first time this season to attend the birth of his third son Ciro, but Barca barely needed their talisman against free-falling Malaga, who had striker Samu Garcia sent off after half-an-hour for a studs-up challenge on Jordi Alba. Suarez headed home a looping cross from Alba to give Barca the lead in the 15th minute and his former Liverpool teammate Coutinho struck the second in the 28th with a backheel from close range after an impressive dribble from Ousmane Dembele.

Malaga were the last team to beat Barca in the league, derailing their title bid with a 2-0 win last April.