Arthur threaded a pass through to Arturo Vidal who got just enough of a touch on it to make it a 2-0 Barcelona lead over Sevilla early in the first half.
Barcelona looks to extend its winning run to three games when it hosts Sevilla on Sunday, in one of the highlights of this weekend’s action in La Liga.
The Catalans and the Andalusians both sit on 13 points after seven games, two adrift of league leaders Real Madrid and a point behind Granada and Atletico Madrid, who currently occupy second spot.
Barca were 3-0 up against Sevilla at the Camp Nou when Messi stood over a free-kick with 10 minutes remaining.