Barcelona fell seven points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid after drawing 0-0 at lowly Villarreal on Saturday. Barça's pursuit of a fourth consecutive league title is now an even tougher task as they seek to catch José Mourinho's men after yet another poor showing on the road where five draws...
... and one defeat has taken its toll. Real are top on 52 points, with Barça second on 45.
The European and Spanish champions were down to the bare bones at the Madrigal with Pedro a late addition to their growing injury list that includes the striker David Villa and midfielder Andrés Iniesta.
Barça threw men forward near the end, fielding Alexis Sánchez as a substitute despite having a shoulder injury, but they could not beat home keeper Diego López.
The Spanish international denied Messi in a one-on-one in the closing minutes and with the goal gaping, Cesc Fàbregas booted the rebound high over the bar to complete a bad night for the visitors.
Messi said: "The league isn't over yet, there is still a long way to go. We just lacked a bit of luck tonight. We didn't play as well as we can do but we created chances and all we lacked was a goal."
