Barcelona suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia on Sunday evening to blow the La Liga title race wide open.
The Catalan giants were two down at half time through Ivan Rakitic's own goal and a well-taken Santi Mina strike moments before the interval.
Despite creating numerous chances, Barca pulled just one back through Lionel Messi in the remainder of the contest to make it three league defeats on the bounce.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga showdown between Barcelona and Valencia at the Camp Nou. The hosts head into this match on the back of a poor recent run of results, which has seen them exit the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and also lose hold of their healthy advantage at the top of the Spanish top flight.
For many clubs a similar run to the one currently being experienced by Barca would be put down as merely a blip, but make no mistake about it - this is as close to a crisis as the Catalan giants are ever likely to get. Hopes of matching last season's incredible treble success in Luis Enrique's maiden campaign in charge have evaporated, and now winning a double is also looking increasingly tougher by the week.
It is worth mentioning in all this that Barcelona are indeed top of the La Liga table, albeit now only by the virtue of their superior head-to-head record against Atletico Madrid this season. Atleti are now locked on points with Enrique's men at the summit thanks to a 2-0 advantage over Granada in a game that is currently in the latter stages at the Vicente Calderon. Throw into the mix Real Madrid's 4-1 triumph against Getafe yesterday and all of a sudden it is game on once again.
It was only a month ago that Barcelona had claimed a 2-2 draw against Villarreal - certainly not the worst result on the face of it going by their hefty lead at the top - to make it a club record 39 games without defeat in all competitions. There was talk of whether this side was better than Pep Guardiola's group of 2008-12, and if so whether it was in fact the greatest club side of all time. Fast forward to the present day and the picture is not quite so clear anymore.
Then came the 2-1 setback at the hands of Real Madrid a couple of weeks back - the Catalan giants' only loss at the Camp Nou all term which made things just a tad more interesting in La Liga. Atletico, as we have come to learn under Diego Simeone, are a beast who just churn out result after result in the most efficient manner imaginable. It was a different matter for rivals Real, though, who were so incredibly inconsistent up until recent weeks.
Losing at the hands of a strong Real side is just one of those things, maybe, a result that is quickly forgotten about the following week when putting another side to the sword in a comfortable victory. Except that was not the case this time around, as Barca struggled to overcome Atletico in Europe before falling - yet again - to Real Sociedad last weekend. It was a poor performance from Enrique's side, and one that they never truly looked like winning after falling behind early on at Anoeta.
So here we have it - Barca now 'only' on for the double and desperately holding on at the top after being well clear at one point. The good news is that all focus can switch to the league between now and the end of the season, with a Copa del Rey clash against Sevilla to come after the La Liga campaign concludes. That should be a thrilling match; one that is tough to call on the face of it between two sides who have pedigree in cup competition.
Barca have won 14 out of their 16 games on home soil, although they did slip up here against Real Madrid in their last outing. They have scored a total of 55 goals at the Camp Nou in that time, while at the same time conceding a mere 12 times. The reigning Spanish champions also have a nice set of fixtures to see out the campaign, too, as they face a host of sides camped in the bottom half of the table.
As if to highlight this barren run of form - the worst since Enrique took over - Barca could go four without a win tonight for the first time in nearly seven years. May 2009 was the last time that happened under Pep Guardiola, while defeat would make it three on the spin in the league for the first time since February 2003. Put in simple terms - Barcelona do not tend to suffer bad prolonged runs such as this.
This run of one win in five overall has coincided with Lionel Messi's drop off in form. The reigning Ballon d'Or holder has not found the net a single time during that spell - a feat you have to go a long way back to match during his Barca days. The little Argentinian ace will have a personal point to prove this evening, especially after seeing great rival Cristiano Ronaldo star for Madrid in midweek when blasting Los Blancos into the final four in Europe.
TEAM NEWS!
BARCELONA XI: Bravo; Roberto, Mascherano, Pique, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic; Neymar, Messi, Suarez
VALENCIA XI: Alves; Barragan, Mustafi, Abdennour, Siqueira; Parejo, Perez, Fuego, Mina, Gomes; Rodrigo
Starting with a look at the home team, then, and manager Luis Enrique has made two changes to his side on the back of the defeat to Atleti in midweek. Full-back Dani Alves drops to the bench in place of Sergi Roberto, while Claudio Bravo is back between the sticks as goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen returns to his more regular back-up role on the bench.
Luis Suarez missed last weekend's loss to Sociedad due to suspension, but he is back among the starters for this one to complete a South American trident alongside Messi and Neymar. All three have a point to prove of sorts, yet it is Messi in particular who will be looking to find the net as he has been one short of the 500-goal mark in his career for five matches now.
Suarez really was missed at Anoeta last week, with a lack of piercing runs around the back for Barca to capitalise on. With him back in the side this is as close to the hosts' starting lineup as you are likely to get, but Dani Alves will of course be disappointed to be omitted from the side. It was a much-changed team a week ago, though Andres Iniesta is among those back in the starting ranks tonight.
In terms of the visitors, stand-in boss Pako Ayestaran has made just the one change by bringing Enzo Perez into the starting lineup this evening. A five-man midfield will look to stifle the Catalan giants, aided by Rodrigo will have to carry out plenty of defensive work at the Camp Nou tonight in his role as the lone striker.
Paco Alcacer leads the scoring charts for Valencia with nine in the league in all, but he is left on the bench for this tricky-looking test in Catalonia, as is Alvaro Negredo who has scored just once in 10 meetings against Barca and none in five at this famous venue. It has been a disappointing campaign for the ex-Manchester City attacker on a personal level, and certainly one to forget for Los Che overall.
BENCH WATCH!
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, Douglas Pereira, Alves, Bartra, Munir, Adriano, Vidal
VALENCIA SUBS: Cancelo, Santos, Negredo, Alcacer, Danilo, Gaya, Ryan
I mentioned the goalscoring form of Messi a little earlier, well the world's best player actually has 10 goals in his nine games against Valencia at the Camp Nou - the perfect chance for him to break his recent barren run in front of goal, then. No Arda Turan (suspended), Rafinha, Sandro, Thomas Vermaelen or Jeremy Mathieu (all injured) in the hosts' squad, meanwhile, but still a strong-looking side.
Well Valencia head to Catalonia sitting in 14th place in the division, some 16 points off their target of a top-six finish. A place in the top four would have been nice, really, but the Gary Neville experiment completely backfired and it soon became clear that simply avoided a relegation fight would constitute a successful season. The gap on the bottom three currently stands at a healthy nine points heading into this match.
Neville was put out of his misery at long last a few weeks back, with assistant boss Ayestaran since being place in charge until the end of the season. The 53-year-old got off the mark last time out when seeing his side record a 2-1 win over Sevilla, ending a run of five defeats in their previous six prior to that crucial victory. Momentum could be hard to come by, though, with Barcelona and Real Madrid still left to play.
Gary Neville's three-month stint as Valencia manager came to an inevitable end a few weeks ago when shown the exit at the Mestalla. Valencia's hopes of landing a European berth have long since disappeared, and instead they will simply be hoping for the campaign to end with their La Liga status completely intact. Relegation was never seriously in the question, but they are nine points off the drop and 16 off the top six which says it all.
Valencia have won just nine of their 32 league matches in all, scoring 32 times to see things go from bad to worse in recent times. That win over Sevilla, getting Ayestaran off the mark at the Mestalla, may just provide the club with a springboard to push on. They have a nice enough run of games to see out the campaign, including a meeting with Eibar in midweek, and only have Real Madrid left to play of the so-called big boys.
DID YOU KNOW? Los Che have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 22 league outings - their worst such run in La Liga history. Winning just nine of their 32 matches goes a long way to explaining their lowly position as we enter the final weeks of the season, while their hopes of success in the Europa League also came to an end at the hands of Athletic Bilbao recently.
The full-time whistle has sounded in the Spanish capital, where Atletico Madrid have comfortable dispatched Granada to completely close the gap on Barcelona. The Rojiblancos, who won 3-0 in the end, are now level on points with their title rivals having played one game more. If the pressure on Enrique's men was not high prior to that result then it certainly will be now!
With a little over 10 minutes to go until kickoff at the Camp Nou, let us now switch attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps heading into this La Liga showdown.
Luis Enrique: "We have to lift ourselves up and focus on what we have ahead of us. And that means two very attractive competitions that we are still involved in. We have to forget the past. It won't be easy, and we are going to need the fans' support more than ever. It's at difficult times like these that we need them most. I'm hoping to wins trophies this season, and bring some joy to the supporters. Barca fans are an intelligent lot, and they'd never forgive us for a lack of attitude or ambition. But we'll never be guilty of that. I'm sure the fans will get behind us."
Pako Ayestaran: "There are aspects that you adapt depending on the opposition, but we are clear about the team are going and where we are growing. We must grow from what we are today, and forget about what has gone before. Against Barca you have to be able to withstand them and have a strong team spirit, otherwise you don't have a chance. We'll try to make sure that their possession is not so high, but we know that we will spend a long time without the ball and we have to know how to manage those moments. I see a focused team that are wanting to improve, with zero fear. We have a responsibility to implement what we do in training."
So Ayestaran admitting that his side "must grow" in the closing weeks of the season if they are to improve on what has been a tough season to date. That win over Sevilla certainly provides a small glimmer of hope for the future, but it is likely to be all change at the top come the summer months. For Barca, on the other hand, Enrique is simply hoping that the fans get behind their team this evening in what is now a must-win game.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the fourth meeting between these two sides this season, having also been drawn together in the Copa del Rey. It is difficult to forget that tie, in fact, as Barca put seven past their opponents in the first leg of an eventual 8-1 aggregate victory. In terms of the reverse league encounter, the Catalan outfit had to settle for a 1-1 draw in what proved to be a rare high at the time Neville was placed in charge.
Valencia have won only once in their last 17 trips to the Camp Nou, although that did come fairly recently as they triumphed 3-2 here in February 2014. A similar result this evening would make life extremely tough for Enrique, who has seen his side pick up one win from five in all competitions. Barca now have the chance to show that this blip is behind them by seeing off Los Che in La Liga's Sunday evening showdown.
PREDICTION! If this match had been played a few weeks back, with Barcelona on a club-record run of 39 games without defeat and Valencia all over the place under Gary Neville, then there really would be only one outcome. I am still expecting a one-sided contest, though, even if the fortunes of both sides have changed slightly. Barca to win 3-1 and finally get back to winning ways in the league.
Both sets of players have made their way out onto the field of play at the impressive Camp Nou, with kickoff now just a matter of moments away. Let's just hope for an exciting contest between two teams at opposite ends of the division.
KICKOFF! We are officially underway at the Camp Nou, where Barcelona are looking to make a quick start against a Valencia side down in 14th place. Victory for Los Che will lift them up as high as 11th, incidentally, so plenty of incentive there to attack.
Plenty of probing from Barca in these early stages, and just half a chance for Suarez a few minutes in. The ball was played over the top into his path, but he could only side-foot his shot a good yard over the bar from a tight angle.
Sergi Roberto, in the starting lineup in place of Dani Alves this evening, sees his shot quickly blocked down inside the box. Positive enough start from the hosts who are looking to find a way through early on to settle any nerves.
SAVE! Far too easy for Barcelona already, as Suarez is played in over the top and quickly looks up to pick out a completely unmarked Messi. The Argentinian attacker was clear favourite to score, but he failed to get the better of Alves who made a decent stop.
Complete dominance from the Catalan club in these opening nine minutes or so, which was pretty much what was expected. Just the one big chance so far, which Messi failed to make the most of when up against Alves a few minutes ago .
That ball over the top catches out Valencia yet again; the third time it has done so already in the first 10 minutes. Messi heads the ball into a central position but no Barca player could get on the end of the ball before a white shirt.
Good word from Messi on the edge of the box before playing in Alba down the left. The Spanish full-back put in a delightful ball across the face of goal which Suarez somehow could not tap home from close range. Barca closing in on that breakthrough goal.
SAVE! A quick free kick catches Valencia cold, with Neymar quickly through with just Alves to beat. The Brazilian went for a little chip, but the Los Che stopper pulled off an acrobatic stop when back-peddling towards his own goal.
YELLOW CARD! Antonio Barragan is the first player to enter the referee's book. The third Valencia player to have committed a foul and the referee has finally lost his patience. Barcelona have looked very good so far without being able to take any of their two big chances.
CLOSE! What a chance for Rodrigo to stun Barcelona at the Camp Nou. The lone striker was played through, but he was under a little pressure and had to take on the shot from the edge of the box, which he fired a few inches wide of the target.
Barcelona really liking these long balls over the top this evening, the latest of which comes via Mascherano for a ghosting Rakitic to get his head on. No Barca player around him, though, and Valencia are able to clear away without too much of a scare.
CHANCE! Messi, Neymar and now Suarez have each had glorious chances to open the scoring. Mascherano flicked the ball on at the front post from a corner, but his teammate somehow headed over the bar from just a few yards out. Had to react quick, granted, yet he really should be scoring from there.
The attacking South American trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar have all been off the boil of late, and all three have missed big chances in the opening quarter of this contest.
GOAL! BARCELONA 0-1 VALENCIA (IVAN RAKITIC, OG)
Unbelievable. Just moments after Messi's 25-yard shot was pushed aside by Alves, Valencia go up the other end and score from just their second real attack of the match. Siqueira's cross from the left was deflected horribly off Rakitic and beyond the reach of Bravo at his near post.
Valencia are breaking at will now, coming within inches of Rodrigo being clean through on goal. We certainly have a match on our hands now, with Barcelona - so dominant in the opening 20 minutes - looking at a third league defeat on the spin here.
Plenty of joy for Valencia down the left since that goal, with Gomes getting the better of Roberto but putting a little too much on his cross. The visitors have actually been the better side over the last five minutes, with Siqueira blasting his latest attempt well wide.
Valencia can be forgiven for sitting back a little after taking a shock lead, but they look strong when getting forward and that is - to prove the cliché correct - the best form of defence at the moment. The hosts' chances have dried up all of a sudden after a stellar start.
YELLOW CARD! Gerard Pique picks up a yellow for a cynical challenge in midfield, helping to bring a Valencia attack to an abrupt halt. The Spaniard will now sit out the midweek trip to take on Deportivo La Coruna.
A free header for Rakitic in the centre of the box, but he had far too much to do with it to test Alves. Barcelona just lacking rhythm since going behind, perhaps being left a little stunned by the Rakitic own goal a little over 10 minutes ago.
SAVE! Gomes is the hero yet again for Los Che. Messi's free kick from 21 yards was hit straight into the wall, but the ball soon came back into the box where the out-of-form forward glanced his header on goal for Gomes to keep out. Suarez is shown a yellow card for what appeared to be dissent.
What a brilliant half of football this has been so far. Barcelona certainly do not deserve to be behind, having come face-to-face with a keeper in top form this evening. Still a few minutes to go until the interval to make a breakthrough.
Suarez, booked a little earlier for dissent, so nearly weaves his way through with some silky footwork only to be denied at the last. Los Che appear to have done enough to keep their slender lead intact at half time, with just a minute of normal time left to play in Catalonia.
GOAL! BARCELONA 0-2 VALENCIA (SANTI MINA)
Wow. What else can you say?! Barcelona are two goals down - and it was quite some goal from the visitors. Barcelona-esque, in fact, as a patient move culminated in Parejo slipping the ball through for Mina, who simply tucked it past Bravo.
HALF TIME: BARCELONA 0-2 VALENCIA
Well where do Barcelona go from here? They started off so brightly, creating three big chances which Neymar, Suarez and Messi all failed to take. Valencia put together just three attacking moves of their own, scoring from two of them to build up what is a healthy-looking lead at the break.
Suarez was played in for the first chance of the match with a pass over the top, opting to instead pick out an unmarked Messi in the centre of the box who could only blast the ball at Alves. A quick free kick soon after caught the visitors called, yet this time it was Neymar who was thwarted by the opposition keeper when his chipped attempt was punched to safety.
Valencia were very much holding on, but Rodrigo squandered a glorious chance of his own when rushing his shot from the edge of the box and failing to test Bravo at all. Suarez become the next Barca player to fluff his lines when heading over from close range, and it proved costly as Rakitic turned a cross into his own net at the other end of the field just moments later.
Gomes had to be alert to deny Messi a leveller 40 minutes in but, just as the half looked to be petering out, Parejo slipped through Mina who made no mistake when left one-on-one. Two-nil at the break, then, and plenty for an out-of-sorts Barca to do in the second half.
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, Douglas Pereira, Alves, Bartra, Munir, Adriano, Vidal
VALENCIA SUBS: Cancelo, Santos, Negredo, Alcacer, Danilo, Gaya, Ryan
A penny for this man's thoughts at the half-time interval. Luis Enrique's side wasted four or five big chances in the first half and now find themselves desperately seeking three goals in the second period to claim a win.
RESTART! We are back underway at the Camp Nou, where Barca's players have been out on the pitch for a good three minutes or so. Enrique choosing to send his underperforming stars out early, but will that ploy have the desired result?
Good play from Suarez to cut the ball back for Rakitic, but the midfielder sends his shot wide of the target. Positive start from the hosts, nonetheless, which you would entirely expect when they are in need of goals. A big half of football awaits.
Not quite the showing from the Catalan outfit I was expecting in the early stages of the second half, with that Rakitic shot all they have to show for their work since the restart. Valencia know that one goal will change the feel of the match completely.
YELLOW CARD! Daniel Parejo clatters into his direct opponent to earn a yellow and concede a free kick in a dangerous position. Messi takes on the shot which he sends against the wall for the second time tonight.
The longer Valencia can keep out their opponents the more likely they are to take at least a point back to the Mestalla. They have conceded at least once in each of their last 22 league games, however, so they will surely ship at least one over the remaining 35 minutes or so.
It is just not happening for the hosts at the moment, with all their attacking play just evading Messi in the final third. The ball over the top is proving their best route to goal; Suarez again getting in behind only for his cross to be easily cleared away.
Brilliant play from Barcelona sees Alba played through down the left in acres of space - identical to Los Che's opening goal of the night. On this occasion the full-back sent his cross high and wide, though, unlike his opposite number whose dangerous ball was turned home by Rakitic.
VALENCIA SUB! Paco Alcacer is introduced in place of Los Che's second goalscorer of the evening. Mina has now scored home and away against Barca, putting in a really good shift overall during his hour on the field.
Still three substitutions available for Enrique to choose from, but all the attacking players he would like to field are currently on the pitch. We are now more than 15 minutes into the half and Barca's only chance came early on via Rakitic.
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-2 VALENCIA (LIONEL MESSI)
Five hundred goals for Lionel Messi in his professional career, providing Barca with a major lifeline at the Camp Nou. Only their second real attack of the half, which ends with Alba simply sliding the ball into a central position for Messi to tuck beyond Alves.
Valencia have done well since going behind, just taking their time when the ball goes dead to end their opponents' momentum. Twenty three minutes to go but it will no doubt feel like a lifetime for those 11 players in white shirts on the pitch.
YELLOW CARD! Enrique is unhappy with the visitors' time-wasting tactics, and the referee clearly agrees as he shows a yellow to Andre Gomes. Barca, who still have all three changes available to them, are lacking rhythm in attack despite finding the net five minutes ago.
SAVE! Another shot on target for Barca, coming via Neymar who works just a yard of space and blasts across goal for Gomes to collect. Simple enough stop in the end, but the hosts are at least stepping things up a little.
Certainly not a classic performance from Barca, despite such a promising start, but they are the side in the ascendency now heading into the final quarter of the match. A 500th career goal for Lionel Messi has given them real hope after falling two behind in the first half.
VALENCIA SUB! Joao Cancelo is on for Enzo Perez, who has not been fully fit of late. Ayestaran just looking to strengthen out wide for the remainder, then, with the hosts now fast running out of time to find a second goal.
SAVE! Yet another stunning Alves save, with this arguably the pick of the bunch. Ivan Rakitic had the ball at his feet inside the box, and his shot was heading for the bottom corner until the Los Che keeper got down to his right to push it away.
Iniesta lofts a fine ball into a right-sided position, but Rakitic's challenge earns Valencia a free kick. Not quite all one-way traffic just yet, although you expect that to change in these final 10 minutes of the match. Still no sign of a change for the hosts.
Barcelona just beginning to look stretched at times when getting bodies forward. They are locked on points with Atletico at the top of La Liga as things stands, remember, ahead only on their superior head-to-head record, while Real are a point further back.
Neymar saw space open up in front of him inside the box following a slaloming run, but a heavy first touch allowed Valencia to pounce. Los Che offering nothing in attack whatsoever this half, instead being forced to dig deep at the back to see through the remainder of this match.
Neymar sees his shot blocked away inside the box, while Pique's attempt from the corner was also well blocked by a white shirt. Up the other end Rodrigo has his shot saved, although the offside flag did eventually go up.
YELLOW CARD! Neymar becomes the sixth player to be shown a caution for a rather late challenge. Not a lot of contact in it but that did appear to be the right decision on the face of it. Frustration just beginning to get to the home side.
CHANCE! Best chance of the half by quite some distance for Barca, but it fell to the wrong man. Pique remained up top and brilliantly took down a cross into his path, yet he dragged his shot wide of goal with only Alves to beat.
Barcelona appear to have run out of ideas, as Iniesta's pass is cut off to give Valencia a reprieve. Three minutes left to play at the Camp Nou, meaning the hosts still have time to create one more chance at the death.
FULL TIME: BARCELONA 1-2 VALENCIA
The full-time whistle sounds at the Camp Nou to bring yet another disappointing night to an end for Barcelona. The Catalan giants really are in free fall at the moment, having lost three on the bounce in La Liga and won just one of their last six in all competitions. Out of Europe and now in a real battle to keep hold of their Spanish top-flight crown - let the inquest begin!
Well that concludes our live text coverage of events in Catalonia, but be sure to check out this on-the-whistle report from what was yet another shock result for the home side. Thanks for joining!
