Sandro Ramirez found the net against former club Barcelona to help Malaga to a 2-0 win at La Rosaleda.
A first home victory in 11 attempts over the Catalan giants was secured thanks to a first-half strike from Ramirez and a late close-range finish from substitute Jony.
Barca created just a few chances across the 90 minutes and were made to play the final 24 minutes with 10 men following a red card for Neymar, compounding their misery on a day that they saw Real Madrid extend their lead by a further point at the top.
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 meeting between Malaga and Barcelona at La Rosaleda. The visitors will have had a close eye on events at the Bernabeu a little earlier, as league leaders Real Madrid slipped up in their tough encounter with city rivals Atletico Madrid to leave the title race wide open once again in the Spanish top flight.
Madrid probably just about did enough to warrant all three points in that clash in the Spanish capital a couple of hours ago, coming close to doubling their tally before squandering their lead five minutes from time. Barcelona now have Antoine Griezmann to thank if they pull level on 72 points with Los Blancos at the summit this evening, although it is worth pointing out that Real do still have a game in hand to come.
Malaga will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset this evening, though, particularly when looking at their recent record against tonight's opponents which shows that they have tasted defeat just twice in the last five encounters. Wouldn't it just be typical if, after seeing Real finally drop points following five wins on the bounce, Barca do likewise and miss out on the chance to draw level at the top!
TEAM NEWS!
MALAGA XI: Kameni; Rosales, Llorente, L.Hernandez, Ricca; Recio, Camacho; Juanpi, Fornals, Juankar; Sandro
BARCELONA XI: Ter Stegen; Mathieu, Mascherano, Umtiti, Alba; D.Suarez, Busquets, Gomes; Messi, L.Suarez, Neymar
Starting with a look at the visiting team, manager Luis Enrique has decided to rotate his side with the upcoming meeting with Juventus in mind. The big news is that Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar - the famed MSN forward trio - all start at La Rosaleda, though at the back things are a little more makeshift as Javier Mascherano fills in at right-back alongside Samuel Umtiti, Jeremy Mathieu and Jordi Alba.
Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez also come into midfield, with Andres Iniesta dropping down to the bench and Ivan Rakitic missing out on inclusion entirely due to suspension. Another player forced to sit this one out due to the accumulation of yellow cards is Gerard Pique, explaining why Mathieu is included at the back, while Rafinha and Aleix Vidal will both play no further part this season.
The 4-3-3 formation survives, even if a few key midfield and defensive men do not, and Enrique has also decided against rested one of Messi, Suarez and Neymar for this one. This may have been a game to thrown Arda Turan into the mix had he been available, but Iniesta is at least on the bench and will no doubt be called upon should things remain tight come the hour mark in Andalusia.
In terms of the home side, manager Michel - in charge for the past month after taking over from Marcelo Romero - is without a number of players this evening. Midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic, winger Keko and defender Bakary Kone are all absent, but there is a place between the sticks for arch-enemy number one - Carlos Kameni. The experienced stopper has kept a clean sheet in six meetings with Barca, which is more than any other keeper.
Sandro Ramirez, with eight goals and one assist in 22 La Liga appearances this season, leads the line for the home side. Ramirez has previously represented Barcelona, of course, appearing 10 times for them in the top flight a couple of seasons back, but he is now out to derail their latest title bid. Playing just off him in attack is Juanpi, while starts are also handed to Juan Carlos and Pablo Fornals on either flank.
BENCH WATCH!
MALAGA SUBS: Boyko, Demichellis, Charles, Duda, Penaranda, Jony, Villaneuva
BARCELONA SUBS: Carbonell, Alena, Cillessen, Digne, Iniesta, Paco, Roberto
Sergio Roberto and Iniesta among the Barcelona subs this evening, then, as it Lucas Digne should he be required. Enrique is certainly using full use of his midfield options with the inclusion of Gomes and Denis Suarez from the off, while the decision to seemingly play Mascherano at right-back does come across as rather strange. Still, when you boast a front three of Suarez, Messi and Neymar it does not often matter which players are fielded where!
Luis Enrique has made full use of his squad tonight but has opted to stick with Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar up top in a familiar 4-3-3 formation. Messi leads the way in the La Liga scoring charts with 27 this season, while Suarez is second on 23 and Neymar a little further back on nine for the campaign. Victory for MSN and their Barca side tonight will see them move alongside leaders Real Madrid.
Malaga, under new management in Michel these past few weeks, find themselves 15th in the La Liga table and eight points clear of danger. They are not yet quite clear of danger, possibly needing another few wins to get over the line, but a huge 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon in midweek has certainly dragged them closer to that safety mark. Prior to that triumph last time out, the Anchovies had lost four in a row and took one point from a possible 18.
Had they lost to Gijon in midweek the gap between themselves and relegation would have been just five points, but thanks to the 1-0 triumph they now have a bit of breathing space and will see this as somewhat of a bonus match. They still have to face Sevilla and Real Madrid here in the closing weeks of the season, and will be hoping that they are now still in the relegation mix by the time that Los Blancos visit on the final day.
Malaga have lost three games in a row on home soil - their worst such run since 2010 when losing five on the bounce under the watch of Jesualdo Ferreira. They have managed to keep two clean sheets in their last three matches, however, beating Gijon 1-0 and holding Leganes to a goalless draw, with the only loss in that recent three-match run coming at the hands of an in-form Atletico Madrid side. Another win tonight and they will be on the brink of safety.
Their defence record may look far more promising when looking at those previous three games, but at the other end they have found the net nine times in 13 outings to make it 34 overall for the season - the 13th best record in the division. Defensively, they have the third-worst clean sheet record in the Spanish top flight with just the four all season, but as mentioned a little earlier Carlos Kameni sees himself as a bit of a specialist when it comes to keeping out Barca's forward players.
DID YOU KNOW? Only three teams have earned more points against Barcelona under Luis Enrique than Malaga. The Anchovies have accrued five points in close to three seasons against the Spanish coach, putting them behind only Celta Vigo (9), Real Madrid and Real Sociedad (both 7). Lionel Messi has scored six goals in six games at La Rosaleda, meanwhile, including a hat-trick in his side's 2012 visit.
Malaga have more than held their own against Barcelona in recent meetings, taking a respectable five points from the Catalan club in the past five meetings. The Andalusian outfit have endured a real disappointing run of form of late, however, taking one point from a possible 18 on offer prior to the massive midweek win over fellow strugglers Sporting Gijon, leaving them eight clear of the drop.
Barcelona travel to La Rosaleda on the back of far more impressive form compared to that of their opponents, finding themselves second in the La Liga standings and just two points adrift of Real Madrid after playing the same number of games. Barca have been waiting and waiting and waiting for Los Blancos to truly slip up, having seen them rescue a 3-3 draw against Las Palmas recently when 3-1 down late on in their only bad results in the past couple of months.
Even today's 1-1 draw with Atletico was not a terrible result on the face of it, coming against the division's third-best side and a team that they just cannot seem to shake off on home soil - four home league games without a win against Atleti now. Enrique joked in the week that he would probably be taking a siesta during the match at the Bernabeu, but he no doubt knows the score of that one now and what it could potentially mean at the top.
Another win tonight for Barca and three points in their next outing will set up the most mouthwatering of El Clasico showdowns two weeks from now, with the winner of that one likely to go on and win the title. Real still have Sevilla to face, too, a side that have fallen off the pace in the past month or so but are still a serious threat, while the Catalan club have a more friendly looking run of fixtures to see out the campaign.
Barcelona last tasted defeat a month ago when going down to Deportivo, coming fresh on the back of their truly incredible comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League. They have won nine league games either side of that rare setback, however, losing just once since October 2. It is a run of form that has led to suggestions that Enrique was perhaps a little too hasty in announcing his decision to leave the club, though there is no denying his side were failing to hit their top levels in the first three-quarters or so of the season.
It all culminated in the heavy defeat to PSG in Paris, yet here were are a month or so on and Barca are on course for a second treble in Enrique's three years at the Camp Nou. The gap on Madrid can be closed tonight, while they also have a double-header with Juventus to come in the next 11 days and a Copa del Rey final with outsiders Alaves on May 27 - a possible precursor for the European Cup final in Cardiff a week later.
There has been plenty of focus on that upcoming El Clasico showdown already in the past couple of weeks, with both sets of fans knowing just how much will likely be riding on those 90 minutes, especially if the head-to-head record is used at the end of the season. Prior to that for Barcelona is tonight's game with Malaga and another winnable match against Real Sociedad in a week's time, but they have no other heavyweight sides to come before the season is over.
Barcelona, going in search of a seventh La Liga title in nine years this season, boast the third best defensive record in the division, conceding 26 times all term and keeping 12 clean sheets. They have shipped six in their last out, however, so there is definitely a chance of Malaga pulling off a shock result this evening. At the other end of the field, the Catalan club have netted the most goals - 88 in all in 2016/17, with Messi scoring 27 of those, Suarez 23 and Neymar nine.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Barcelona have not lost in any of their past 10 visits to La Rosaleda, winning eight and drawing two since a shock 5-1 reverse here in 2003. That defeat, under Frank Rijkaard, remains the last time they lost a league match by four or more goals. Malaga have lost just two of the last five encounters, though, thanks to a couple of draws - including a stalemate at Camp Nou in November - and a solitary win.
With kickoff now less than 10 minutes away in Andalusia, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Michel: "Following the victory against Sporting we're doing well. The players have shown that they can do it, and from now on we'll play with much less pressure. There's nothing more recuperating and regenerating than victory. When you win, there is less fatigue. We have players at our disposal, we already made a few changes the other day. I'm certain that Wednesday's win will help us to be less tired, although we'll see that we'll run the same amount as we did against Sporting".
Luis Enrique: "I like what I see, but it doesn't mean anything because, at the moment, we have not won anything or lost anything. Everything is still to be confirmed with titles. We have to win the game tomorrow against Malaga because if we don't things get a lot tougher. We have to focus on what we can control - getting three points in Malaga. We will look at other things later. Of course games between direct rivals are vital, but everything right now is Malaga."
Michel pointing out that the pressure is not so intense on his side now, which should help them in their remaining fixtures. The win at Gijon last time out really was massive; a gap of eight points opening up with the 1-0 triumph rather than seeing it reduced to just five on the bottom three. The recently-appointed boss also pointing out that squad rotation will prevent his men from feeling fatigued.
Enrique using the old 'one game at a time' cliche which, as was similar with Zidane in the week, is a fair enough assessment of what is to come. You cannot afford to look any further than one game ahead, knowing that anything less than three points tonight and the odds of Real winning a first title since 2012 will shoot right back up. It is extremely tight at the summit, at least between the top two, so every last point will count.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play at La Rosaleda, with kickoff in this final La Liga match of the day just moments away from getting under way. A minute's silence to come before the first ball is kicked, as Barcelona look to make up the gap on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 10th win in 11 league outings.
KICKOFF! Here we go, then, as we get up and running in Andalusia. Barcelona were frustratingly held to a goalless draw in the reverse meeting, even after Malaga were reduced to nine men, so they will be seeking revenge tonight.
Barcelona has more than 80 per cent of the ball in that reverse meeting in November, so no great surprise to see them dictating the play right from the off here by knocking the ball through midfield and into attack.
YELLOW CARD! Neymar with some trickery, which ultimately fails to come off as he stumbles and falls to the ground. Free kick is eventually won by Malaga and a yellow card is shown to Jordi Alba when he raises his hand to his opponent's face.
Barca completely dominating possession and the moment and looking to make inroads through midfield, but they have so far been unable to really get their famed front-three trio on the ball in dangerous positions.
Shocking from Luis Suarez, who dives to the floor in search of a free kick when failing to get on the end of Neymar's flicked pass. Home fans not happy with that piece of play-acting, letting the player know exactly how they feel.
Eleven minutes into the match now and still now a great deal to write home about. Gomes looked to slalom his way into the box but a last-ditch intervention halted him in his tracks, as Barca continue to dominate possession.
Neymar picks out Messi in a central position and the little maestro plays it straight through to Suarez down the right. The Uruguayan's flashed cross was deflected on target for Kameni to keep out but the offside flag had already gone up.
Malaga not really been able to get any of their forward players in behind so far, with Mascherano filling in at full-back tonight for the visitors. Home fans are certainly up for this one, even if this is now far from a fortress.
SAVE! Kameni is already hated by Barcelona's players - six clean sheets against them in his career, remember - and less than a quarter of the way through he has already produced a stunning stop. Suarez takes down Alba's long ball and his half-volley was goalbound if not for the intervention.
Praise for Kameni for producing that fine stop a moment or two ago, but that was the first chance of any note that the visitors have created. Plenty of attacking intent but prior to that Suarez shot there had been little flow to their game.
Suarez again picked out down the right after being played onside, but his cross into the box is easily dealt with by Kameni. The Anchovies are standing firm at the back so far, though Barca are starting to exploit them down the flanks.
Barca win themselves a free kick in a dangerous area 25 yards from goal, but Messi fails to get it up and over the wall in time and it ends over the bar. Kameni appeared to have it covered anyway, as the Argentinian takes time to find his range.
Ter Stegen's blushes saved, as his weak clearance straight to Recio ends with the midfielder miscuing his shot from range wide of the target. Can just about put that down as Malaga's best - well, only - sight of goal so far.
YELLOW CARD! More boot-related controversy surrounding Neymar, as he enters the referee's book for delaying an opposition free kick by doing up his laces. Knew exactly what he was doing and was rightly cautioned.
It just is not happening for Andre Gomes at Barcelona at the moment. Messi slots the ball through and he just has to tuck it away, but he takes too long and Roberto Rosales is able to shield the ball away from him.
GOAL! MALAGA 1-0 BARCELONA (SANDRO RAMIREZ)
The moment Sandro Ramirez was no doubt dreaming of as he beats the offside trap, races half the length of the field and tucks it past Ter Stegen. The ex-Barca man, allowed to leave in the summer, completely done Mathieu for pace and kept his composure.
That is now nine goals for Sandro Ramirez in the Spanish top flight this term - a more-than-decent return for a team struggling at the bottom end. That was the hosts' first chance of any note, which they took brilliantly.
YELLOW CARD! Federico Ricca is shown a yellow for a naughty challenge on Umtiti, and looked rather glad to see it was not a red - referee did appear to make the right call, mind. Umtiti was also cautioned in the aftermath of Malaga's opener.
Enrique appears to be ready to make a change, with Roberto going through an intense warm-up. If that is the case then Mathieu is the likely candidate to make way, allowing Mascherano to slot in alongside Umtiti at centre-back.
Alba in a good position to pick out a teammate when working his way into the box down the left, but his cross towards the back post is helped out by a Malaga head. The visitors have created just one chance in the opening 40 minutes.
SHOT! Shots have been difficult to come by in this first half, so this one needs highlighting. Juanpi was given a little room inside the box bus blasted high and wide, with a number of opposition players closing him down.
YELLOW CARD! Half time is now just a couple of minutes away in Andalusia and there is no real sign of a Barcelona leveller. Malaga the team asking the questions, in fact, as Recio becomes the latest player to see yellow for a cynical challenge on Messi.
HALF TIME: MALAGA 1-0 BARCELONA
The referee blows his whistle for half time, meaning that Malaga take a one-goal advantage into the interval against second-placed Barcelona. Three points really need to be collected by the Catalan giants this evening, so a killer blow from former play Sandro Ramirez to put them on course for a rare defeat is not how they would have envisaged this one panning out.
The visitors created just one chance in the first half, which fell the way of 23-goal striker Luis Suarez just short of a quarter of the way into the contest. Carlos Kameni has made a habit of frustrating Barca in the past, though, keeping an unrivalled six clean sheets against them in his career - including in November's reverse fixture - and was once again on top form to prevent Suarez's half-volley from finding the top corner.
It was proving to be a half of very few chances in Andalusia, as Malaga themselves created just the one opening for former Barcelona youngster Sandro Ramirez to tuck away. The 21-year-old, allowed to leave Camp Nou last summer following seven years of service, beat the offside trap and completely outdid Jeremy Mathieu for pace, running half the length of the pitch and making no mistake up against Marc-Andre ter Stegen for goal number nine of the season.
The only other real sight of goal either side had came towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, with Juanpi blasting high into the stands from inside the box when surrounded by a number of opposition players. Not the strongest of Barcelona benches, in truth, but they do have the option of bringing on a full-back and switching things around in defence.
MALAGA SUBS: Boyko, Demichellis, Charles, Duda, Penaranda, Jony, Villaneuva
BARCELONA SUBS: Carbonell, Alena, Cillessen, Digne, Iniesta, Paco, Roberto
RESTART! We are back under way at La Rosaleda, where there is no great surprise to see Luis Enrique making a double change. Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto are on for Denis Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu.
Good counter-attacking football from the hosts as they again get in behind, but the ball is deflected behind for a corner before it makes its way into a dangerous area. Prior to that, Iniesta showed what he can do with an impressive ball.
Another free kick won for Barcelona in a dangerous area, which Messi again takes on and again sends well over the target. The Argentinian just has not been at his usual high levels tonight, nor have Suarez and Neymar.
Very impressive closing down from Recio on Roberto, who managed to get away with pondering on the ball. Malaga not giving visitors a moment's peace at the moment, getting in their faces at every possible opportunity.
A nasty injury for Messi, who was seemingly tripped by one player and then collided with Camacho on his way down. The Barca ace has managed to shake it off and the free kick is swung into the box for Malaga to clear away.
SAVE! What a chance for Malaga to double their advantage! Sandro Ramirez again involved at the end of a swift counter, unselfishly laying it off for Juanpi to his right for the midfielder to send right at Ter Stegen.
Neymar with some more trickery, but his attempted cross hits the outside of the post on its way out of play. A third and final change about to be made by visiting boss Enrique, as we approach the hour mark in Andalusia.
BARCELONA SUB! Paco Alcacer is on in place of the underwhelming Andre Gomes for the final 30 minutes, with Enrique not wasting any time in bringing on his third and final replacement. Two goals needed by his side!
CHANCE! An attack to sum up Barca's performance. A cutback looked perfect for Suarez to strike home from about six yards out, but for some reason he dummied it and there was no teammate directly behind him.
CHANCE! Decent attempt from Juanpi from range, which ends narrowly over the crossbar. Suarez rounds Kameni but the angle is against him, so he picks out Neymar who heads over with so much of the target to aim for.
RED CARD! The visitors certainly looking brighter in the past five minutes or so, creating a couple of half-decent chances, but their task has just become even tougher. A second yellow for Neymar for a shoulder barge on Diego Llorente sees his nigh cut short.
As we approach the final 20 minutes the visiting side are a goal down and a man down - where does Enrique go from here? All three changes made and now his side are seriously open to the counter-attack should Malaga play their cards right.
YELLOW CARD! Pathetic behaviour from Umtiti, who deserves to be on the losing side after going to the ground clutching his face when pushed in the chest. Adalberto Penaranda cautioned for the initial shove.
Penaranda is crying out for the ball when completely unmarked through the middle, but once finally picked out he is flagged for offside. The sub rounded Ter Stegen and found the net, only to look up and see the flag.
A replay has been shown of that Penaranda goal that was ruled out for offside, showing that the officials got that one wrong - Barca should be two down! Can they use that in their favour to rescue a point in the next 15 minutes?...
MALAGA SUB! This second half has flown by, with just 14 minutes now left to play in Andalusia. Charles has been introduced for the hosts, taking over from goalscorer and possible matchwinner Sandro Ramirez.
PENALTY APPEAL! An incorrect call at either end now, as Sergi Roberto is brought to ground just inside the box but a free kick is instead awarded. Messi fails to convert and Malaga break, with Charles denied by Ter Stegen on the counter.
YELLOW CARD! Caution number seven of the evening is shown to Juan Carlos. Barcelona starting to build up some momentum now, but time and time again the Anchovies are being given gaps to exploit when breaking.
MALAGA SUB! Jony on for recently-booked Juan Carlos to see out these final stages in a like-for-like alteration for Malaga. Just eight minutes away from another huge twist in this fascinating La Liga title race.
Recio currently down in some pain after being caught. Might just be a case of him deliberately trying to eat up some time, or he may genuinely be carrying a knock in just his second outing since January. Big shift from him today!
SAVE! That man Kameni produces another big stop to frustrate Barcelona, blocking Suarez's shot from just a few yards out after he was picked out by a fine through-ball from Mascherano. Time really running out now.
Just two minutes left on the clock and Barcelona throwing all they have at their opponents, creating that one big chance for Suarez which the Uruguayan failed to convert. Poor pass from Busquets ends their latest move.
GOAL! MALAGA 2-0 BARCELONA (JONY)
From the umpteenth counter-attacking move of the half, Charles breaks clean through and unselfishly lays it off for substitute Jony to take a touch and blast it past Ter Stegen. Malaga teasing their opponents before putting it in the net!
FULL TIME: MALAGA 2-0 BARCELONA
The referee, who between him and his officials made a couple of horror calls in that second half, blows for full time at La Rosaleda. Another massive twist at the top of La Liga, as Barcelona fail to capitalise on Real Madird's earlier draw with Atletico Madrid and stay three points adrift in second. Goals from Sandro Ramirez and Jony sealed the win for Malaga in the end, moving them further clear of danger.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in Andalusia. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and if you are looking to catch up on events from the Bernabeu earlier today then head here. Thanks for joining us on another thrilling day in the Spanish top flight!
