Suarez opened the scoring in the second half before Messi bagged a double as Barca secured a comfortable away win against La Liga's basement club
Osasuna ran with the bulls in Pamplona for an hour, but eventually Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi gored them.
The Uruguayan broke the deadlock in the second half to end staunch resistance from the hosts and help Barcelona eat into Real Madrid’s lead in La Liga, which is now three points until Los Blancos play on Saturday night against Deportivo la Coruna.
Barcelona wasted several chances early on, with Suarez firing one wide and one against the post, while Messi should have scored when the Uruguayan set him up, but fired straight at Nauzet.
They could have scored as many as five goals in the first half-an-hour, before Osasuna created a fine chance at the other end, with Oriol Riera narrowly failing to make it on to a cross at the back post.
Osasuna could have scored early in the second half too, when Sergio Leon’s beautiful chip from distance crashing off Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s crossbar.
They were made to pay by Suarez, who tucked home after Jordi Alba crossed from the left to end a beautiful move, beating the Osasuna offside trap.
Messi made it two in the 72 minute, finishing well after another cut-back from rampaging left-back Alba.
The Argentine notched another in stoppage time to put a fairer spin on the scoreline, a brilliant individual goal which he scooped into the top corner.
Here are five things we learned from the game…
1. Barcelona are recovering their classic style
Even though this was a frustrating game for Barcelona, with haywire finishing stopping them from running riot, the improvement in their general play was notable.
They created several good chances, which Suarez and Messi spurned, with Andres Iniesta and Gomes helping them dominate the ball in midfield.
Along with Sergio Busquets’ continued revival from the near-zombie we saw in the first few months of the campaign, this midfield trio gives the Catalans a lot more control.
Against Gladbach, with Gomes as the pivot and Denis Suarez in midfield they attempted more passes than any other side has tried in a Champions League match.
Luis Enrique said in his press conference that he is fed up of debates over the team’s style. With more displays like this, there won’t be any debate to have.
2. Suarez scoring again but still not at his best
The Uruguayan tucked home to break the deadlock in the second half, and pull himself level with Cristiano Ronaldo on 10 goals at the top of the Pichichi chart.
Along with his bullet header in the Clasico last weekend, these were two big goals that could be worth their weight in gold for Barcelona at the end of the season.
However, he has struggled this season, failing to have as big an impact on games as he had last year.
Suarez missed two big chances at the start of this clash, firing one wide and rattling the post with another.
However he looked better here than against Real Madrid last week, when he was arguably the worst player on the pitch until his goal.
Once he is back to his best Barcelona can turn the heat up on Madrid at the top of the table, and at least for the time being he is still offering goals.
3. Gomes is becoming one of Lucho's favourite sons
This season Barcelona went into the season with as many as 10 players that could play in the three central midfield slots. There was an 'over-booking' in midfield.
Luis Enrique rotated his players a lot, with Iniesta's injury giving Rafinha, Arda Turan, Denis and Gomes a chance to fight for the midfield role.
None of them really made it their own, although Denis did the best with the chances he had.
However, Luis Enrique asked for Gomes to be brought to the club from Valencia this summer, in a deal which could rise up to €55 million, so it's understandable the coach wants to give him a fair crack of the whip.
Gomes, along with Messi and Suarez, is the only player in the side to start the Clasico last weekend, the Champions League game against Borussia Monchengladbach in midweek, and this clash with Osasuna.
On a similar note, with Samuel Umtiti replacing Javier Mascherano, perhaps (Neymar’s absence aside) this may be Lucho’s favoured XI at the end of the season.
4. Turan is better as a forward than a midfielder
The Turkish star is not a quick player but he works much better as a winger than a midfielder.
His versatility is one of the aspects that Luis Enrique values most about him, but it is becoming clear that he is far superior when deployed in Neymar’s position on the left.
That’s where he started the season when the Brazilian was at the Olympics, and he scored a hat-trick from there against Gladback in the week.
Neymar was suspended both for that game and this one too, so Arda got another chance and took it well.
His attacking play carved out many opportunities for Barcelona, even if some bad finishing stopped them from taking full advantage.
5. Messi is still the best player in the world
On Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo will likely win his fourth Ballon d’Or trophy. And it is understandable, given he led Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and won the Champions League.
But the reality of the situation is that Messi, whom he takes it from, was the best player in the world last year and he still is now.
Given he won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, and took Argentina to the Copa America final, there is an argument that he is just as deserving as the Madrid man.
But where he really wins is on the pitch. He scored again today, his 21 of the season, and yet even that is not why he deserves the award.
It his is overall performance level which makes him so impressive, how he drops back into midfield so frequently and naturally to help Barcelona keep the ball and work openings for his team-mates.
On his 550 Barcelona appearance Messi put on a show which demonstrates his influence is as strong as ever.
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