Xavi bagged a brace as Barcelona beat Malaga on Saturday night to extend their winning run to 11 games and move provisionally top of the Primera Liga for the first time this season.
Xavi gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead from a free-kick after just five minutes, but Duda equalized for the hosts with another impressive strike soon after.
Lionel Messi restored Barca's advantage after 18 minutes and Xavi netted a third for the Catalans shortly after the interval.
And the Catalans wrapped up a comfortable victory late on through Dani Alves' deflected free-kick.
Barcelona came into the game on a 10-match winning streak in all competitions and a point behind leaders Valencia in the Primera Liga, but Malaga had also been on form, winning four league games in a row before this one to move up to sixth in the table.
The game went ahead despite heavy rain, but the waterlogged pitch made conditions very difficult for both sides.
Huge pools of water all over the pitch constantly stopped the ball so it was not surprising that the first goal came from a set piece.
And it came from Xavi, who was well down the free-kick pecking order while Ronaldinho and Deco were at the club.
But with those two now departed, the Spain midfielder showed that he too can strike a dead ball with style, curling a lovely free-kick past Arnau into the top right-hand corner.
However, Malaga picked themselves up and leveled the scores just seven minutes later, when Duda crashed a thunderous drive into top corner from 20 yards after Valdes had pushed away Adrian Lopez's shot.
Barcelona continued to dominate though, and Messi slid a low angled drive past Arnau to restore the Catalan advantage six minutes later, after Malaga had failed to clear the ball.
Chances were few and far between in the rest of the first half. Duda tried his luck again from distance but this time Valdes got down well to push the ball away and Barcelona went in a goal to the good at half-time.
Any hopes Malaga had of getting a result evaporated soon after the break when substitute Thierry Henry brilliantly headed Samuel Eto'o's cross from deep into the path of the unmarked Xavi, who swept a low left-footed drive under Arnau to give Guardiola's side a two goal cushion.
That goal marked the end of the game as a contest and it was then really just a case of how many goals Barcelona would score in the closing stages.
Alves crashed a thunderous free-kick against the post after 66 minutes and Sergio Busquets had his effort well saved by Arnau as Barca threatened to run riot.
The Catalans finally added a fourth with 10 minutes left when Welington deflected Alves' free-kick past a helpless Arnau.
