Barcelona got their season off to an auspicious start with a thumping of Villarreal at Camp Nou, 5-0.

After winning three championships in a row, Barcelona appears to not be letting up. The club received goals from Thiago and newcomers Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez, while Lionel Messi added two goals in the second half.

In typical Barcelona fashion, the Catalans dominated time of possession by controlling the ball 74 percent of the time.

Villarreal struggled to muster much of an attack. Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar were in the lineups for Villarreal, but the club only managed five shots the entire game. Victor Valdes was barely tested, as the Barcelona goalkeeper only had one save in the match. The one save came in the 85th minute when Javier Camuñas took a right-footed shot from outside the box.

Pep Guardiola employed a three-man rotation for the two playmaking roles, as Xavi entered the match for Andres Iniesta in the 56th minutes, while Cesc Fabregas played 70 minutes, leaving when the score was 4-0.

While Barcelona got their season off to a great start, main rivals Real Madrid defeated Real Zaragoza on Sunday, 6-0.

Check out the highlights from the Barcelona - Villarreal match.

Real Madrid Lionel Messi Real Madrid Lionel Messi