Samuel Eto'o scored twice as Barcelona cruised to a 10th consecutive Primera Liga win and restored their 12-point lead at the top of the table.
The Cameroon striker gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead with a simple finish after 24 minutes and added a second shortly before the break as the league leaders brushed aside Sporting Gijon with relative ease at the Nou Camp.
Dani Alves then put the Catalans three up after 65 minutes, before Kike Mateo grabbed a consolation for the visitors.
Despite their excellent recent results, Guardiola claimed yesterday his team had lost some of their early-season brilliance.
And perhaps hopeful of a positive reaction from his players, the Barca coach fielded his strongest available XI to face Sporting.
Carles Puyol was back after injury, while Eto'o, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Victor Valdes were all restored to the starting line-up after sitting out most of Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg win at home to Real Mallorca.
The home side quickly signaled their intentions as Thierry Henry saw his header pushed over by Sporting keeper Inaki Lafuente after 12 minutes.
And 12 minutes later, Barcelona went ahead.
Andres Iniesta drove forward following a Sporting corner and fed Henry, who in turn picked out the unmarked Eto'o and the African swept the ball home from close range to put Barca in front.
Henry then fired over as the Catalans looked to double their advantage, and Messi was dispossessed by Sergio Matabuena just as he shaped to shoot after 34 minutes.
A second goal looked imminent and it duly arrived six minutes later, when Eto'o skipped past Gerard and crashed an unstoppable effort past a helpless Lafuente.
Carmelo Gonzalez then missed a great chance to pull a goal back for Sporting at the other end after 42 minutes, when the unmarked striker dragged his shot disappointingly wide from well inside the area.
Eto'o, Xavi and Messi all came close to adding a third goal for Barcelona with decent efforts as normal service was resumed in the second half.
And it finally arrived after 65 minutes through Alves, who crashed a blistering drive into the net from what looked an almost impossible angle.
Substitute Mateo gave Sporting a lifeline three minutes later, when he beat Valdes with a low drive from the edge of the box.
Barcelona continued to dominate, though, and Eto'o should have claimed a hat-trick with 20 minutes remaining, but saw his header kept out by the woodwork.
The home side could have run riot in the latter stages, with Henry, Sylvinho and Messi all threatening.
But Guardiola's men never really needed to move out of second gear in a game they controlled from start to finish.
The Catalans' 10th straight Primera Liga win sees them move 12 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid once again with 22 rounds of the championship now completed.
Sporting, meanwhile, remain in 12th place, comfortably clear of the relegation zone.
