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MADRID. — Lionel Messi shrugged off his recent woes from the penalty spot with a decisive 94th-minute spot-kick to move Barcelona top of the Spanish La Liga with a pulsating 3-2 win at Valencia on Saturday. And Messi let rip at Valencia fans with an expletive-ridden celebration after he earned Barcelona a dramatic victory over Valencia at the Mestalla.The Argentine superstar appeared to scream “the c*** of your mother” at a group of Valencia ultras having seen teammates Luis Suarez and Neymar felled by objects thrown from the stands after his 90th minute penalty secured a 3-2 win.

While his partners in crime Neymar and Suarez lay prostrate on the turf, the usually reserved Messi lost his cool and started celebrating wildly, shaking and waving his fists. A video appears to show him sceaming in Spanish: “The c*** of your mother, son of a thousand w*****!”

“I’m not here to evaluate what can be done (about bottle throwing). We celebrated a goal like you have to celebrate a goal against an opponent who made it so difficult for you,” said Barcelona manager Luis Enrique.

Thankfully, neither Neymar nor Suarez suffered any lasting damage, while Paco Alcacer also emerged unscathed after he was hit with a bag of sunflower seeds by supporters who were furious at his decision to swap Valencia for Barcelona back in the summer.

However, the dramatic victory came at a cost for Barca as a tearful Andres Iniesta suffered ligament damage in his right knee that could keep him out for several months.

Messi netted twice and his opener midway through the first half was allowed to stand despite Luis Suarez straying into an offside position.

Valencia hit back with two goals in six second-half minutes through on-loan Barca winger Munir El Haddadi and Rodrigo.

However, Suarez levelled and was then upended inside the area by Aymen Abdennour to allow Messi to hold his nerve and slot past penalty-stopping specialist Diego Alves for all three points.

Victory moves the champions a point clear of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, who faced Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao respectively yesterday.

He may be one of the finest footballers ever but Messi has struggled from the spot in recent seasons, most notably blazing over as Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile in June.

“Our best penalty-taker is Leo Messi without any doubt,” Barca boss Luis Enrique said. — AFP