Spanish leaders Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw by defiant fourth-placed Villarreal yesterday, a result which ended Barca’s 12-match winning run in La Liga but left them nine points clear at the top with eight games left.
Barca coach Luis Enrique was quick to put a positive interpretation on the game, saying: “The players knew this was not going to be an easy match. The game was pretty much as we expected.
“This is a positive day for us because now we are one point close to our objective, which is the league title.”
Barca dashed into a 2-0 first-half lead through goals from Ivan Rakitic - a left-foot drive, after the Villarreal defence had failed to clear a corner - and Neymar, the latter from a non-existent penalty after he fell under challenge from keeper Sergio Asenjo.
Barca’s principal penalty taker Lionel Messi unselfishly passed the spot-kick onto Neymar, and the Brazilian calmly made it 2-0.
The Villarreal fans also protested a handball by Barca defender Gerard Pique which should have seen him sent off - and miss the April 2 Clasico against Real Madrid.
Villarreal refused to lie down and die, and were on level terms within 18 minutes of the second half. Cedric Bakambu reduced arrears after keeper Claudio Bravo had parried a shot from Denis Suarez, then Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu clumsily pushed a Villarreal corner into his own goal with his arm.
Both teams wasted good chances when the high-energy match ended with a frenetic finale.  “We never give up,” Villarreal’s Asenjo said.
“Any other team would have thrown in the towel at 2-0, but we didn’t do that ... To turn the result around against one of the best teams in the world speaks very well of us, I think.”
The draw stretched Barca’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 39 games and left them nine points above second-placed Atletico Madrid, who crashed 2-1 Saturday at lowly Sporting Gijon.
Third-placed Real Madrid, who are four below Atletico, were due to host fifth-placed Sevilla later yesterday.
Barca have 76 points, Atletico have 67, Real 63, Villarreal 54 and Sevilla 48.
Also yesterday, troubled Valencia - who are in disappointing 14th place - were to receive seventh-placed Celta Vigo.
Earlier on, Espanyol moved up to 12th and midtable safety with a 2-1 defeat of Athletic Bilbao, who are sixth.