Barcelona endure mixed form but keep unbeaten run alive with Villarreal draw:-

On the opposite wing, Neymar's intelligent movement caused more problems, generating space by pulling opponents out of position, and helping to create numerical superiority in the midfield. The two forwards linked up spectacularly just before the break, when Messi's early pass met Neymar's clever diagonal run and though the resulting penalty was generous, the Brazilian's cool finish was excellent nonetheless.

With Ivan Rakitic already scoring before then, Barca should have seen the rest of the game out but a second half cameo from Jeremy Mathieu made things difficult for the Catalans. Brought on for Gerard Pique with just under hour gone, the centre-back's rhythm was well below the game's high intensity and his indecisiveness helped Cedric Bakambu reduce Barca's lead to 2-1. The veteran defender turned the ball into his own net soon after.

Barca were on the ropes at that stage but Javier Mascherano stepped up and produced a string of decisive last-ditch interventions, the most noteworthy of which came in the last minute of regulation time when he produced a huge tackle in his box to prevent Adrian from winning the game for the home side.