Barcelona put on another performance and it was of course star-man Lionel Messi who was responsible for the fireworks, scoring four goals as Barcelona defeated Arsenal by four goals to one in the Champions League quarter final second leg.

It was clear from the early stages of the match that Messi was fully-prepared for the game. His touch was impeccable as normal and his eye for goal was apparent after he unleashed a 25-yard shot that just went over the crossbar, striking fear into the Arsenal camp.

Arsenal responded by taking the lead. A poor pass from Gaby Milito led to an Arsenal surge. Theo Walcott was given space to run into and his pass back to Bendtner was almost turned in. Valdes parried Bendtner's shot, but was helpless when the Dane turned the rebound into the net.

Messi was yet to come into his own. Three minutes later on the 21st minute, Messi received the ball on the edge of the box. He was initially dispossessed, but latched onto the loose ball, and from 20-yards he unleashed a screaming shot into the top corner of the goal. It was a Messi wonder-goal that had the Camp Nou crowd in raptures.

The best was yet to come, though, as the diminutive Argentinian began to thrive with his every touch of the ball. In the 37th minute, Messi threaded a splitting pass through the Arsenal defense. Abidal squared the ball but Pedro received it with his back to goal. He passed it back again towards Messi who took just one touch to take the ball into his stride and then finished into the roof of the net with relative ease.

The show was still not fully in motion. Leo Messi completed his hat-trick on the 42nd minute. A great assist by Keita heading the ball through to Messi created a one on one opportunity. Almunia, expecting Messi to hit the ball either side of him, was flabbergasted by the genius of the boy when he lobbed the ball over his head into the goal. It was a terrific moment for Barcelona and Messi in particular.

The second half was much quieter. Barcelona controlled the game and were content to sit on their lead. However, Messi added a fourth in the 88th minute. His initial shot was parried by Almunia, but his second was unstoppable. He somehow delayed on the ball and found a gap, hitting the ball through the legs of Arsenal's battered keeper. It was a sensational goal and capped an incredible evening of football as Messi is now the top scorer in the competition. Barcelona won the tie by 6-3 on aggregate.

Barcelona will progress to the semi-final where they will face Inter Milan, who overcame CSKA Moscow by 2-0 on aggregate.