Barcelona slipped to their second La Liga defeat on the bounce after Mikel Oyarzabal's early header helped Real Sociedad to a 1-0 win at the Estadio Anoeta.
The teenager looped his attempt over the reach of Claudio Bravo, which the visitors were ultimately unable to respond to across the remaining 85 minutes.
Geronimo Rulli was forced into making a handful of saves, the best of which came early in the second half to help Andres Iniesta's long-range drive over the crossbar in the Basque Country.
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 Real Sociedad and Barcelona at the Estadio Anoeta. The league leaders can move one step closer to another Spanish title success with a victory in the Basque Country this evening, while the hosts will aim to keep their slim European hopes alive.
Barca may have seen their 39-match unbeaten run come to an end at the hands of Real Madrid last weekend, falling 2-1 at the Camp Nou in a disappointing manner, but they still find themselves four points clear at the top heading into the final stretch of the Spanish domestic season. That gap could be reduced to just three points should Atletico Madrid win away at Espanyol, where they currently lead 2-1.
Updates from the Atletico match will be given at full time in that one, but Real Madrid have already played this afternoon and have well and truly put the pressure on Barcelona by seeing off Eibar 4-0. It was an emphatic victory for Los Blancos, with all of their goals coming in a rampant first half, meaning that the top three will likely be separated by just four points by the time Barca get underway this evening.
It is fair to say that Luis Enrique's men looked a tad more comfortable at the top this time last week, but defeat to Real Madrid has all of a sudden made the task slightly less straightforward. Certainly not time to panic, but anything less than a victory this evening - at a ground they have notoriously struggled at in the past - and all of a sudden Real and Atletico will be given some renewed home of a late title surge.
Barcelona also drew 2-2 against Villarreal prior to the international break, so their winless league run stands at two games now heading into this tricky-looking fixture in the Basque Country. The Catalan giants did just about see off Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, though, so there is a sense of momentum returning once more as they prepare for this big week in their season.
Enrique may just have one eye on that return leg with Atletico in midweek, which remains delicately poised at 2-1 heading to the Vicente Calderon, with that one sandwiched between this game against Sociedad and next weekend's meeting with an out-of-sorts Valencia side. Throw a possible European Cup semi-final into the mix over the coming weeks, as well as the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla, and the schedule is beginning to look rather congested at this stage.
Barcelona will therefore be hoping to regain some breathing space atop the La Liga table sooner rather than later, allowing them to switch focus towards repeating last season's incredible treble success. They are well on course to achieving that once more, even if they have endured the smallest of blips in the league of late. The 39-match unbeaten run - a Spanish record - may now be at an end, but Barca remain arguably the continent's strongest side right now.
The good news for Barca is that today's fixture is, on paper at least, their toughest test to come between now and the end of the La Liga season. Tenth-placed Sociedad would not normally pose a beat like Barcelona too many problems, but this is a side that have trumped the Catalan club more times than not on home soil over the past decade. In fact, the last time today's visitors won here was back in 2007 - nine years ago!
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Following on from that pretty remarkable stat, Barcelona's recent overall record against the Royals also makes for interesting reading. In the last five encounters, both teams have claimed two wins apiece with the other match ending in a draw. Barcelona have won the last two of those, though, without conceding a goal in the process.
You may remember David Moyes' Sociedad side claiming a 1-0 win here the last time the sides clashed in the Basque Country, on what proved to be one of the lowest points of Luis Enrique's otherwise perfect spell at the helm. The Spaniard just could not find a formula that worked, with serious questions asked over his future at that point. Fast forward to the present day, and Enrique is now very much ingrained in the folklore of this famous club thanks to last season's treble success.
Barcelona have failed to win at the Estadio Anoeta since 2007. In that time the Catalan giants have lost four and drawn two of their outings, with the last meeting here ending in defeat at the hands of a side then managed by David Moyes. They did triumph 4-0 in the reverse fixture on home soil in November, however, with Barca's famous forward trio all getting on the scoresheet.
TEAM NEWS!
REAL SOCIEDAD STARTING XI: Rulli, Mikel, Illarra, Granero, Prieto, Vela, Zurutuza, D.Reyes, De la Bella, Oyarzabal, Elustondo
BARCELONA STARTING XI: Bravo, Pique, Mascherano, Alves, S.Roberto, Busquets, Arda, Rafinha, Messi, Neymar, Munir
It is time to switch attention towards some confirmed team news from the Estadio Anoeta, which could make for interesting reading if Enrique does indeed have one eye on the return leg against Atletico in four days' time. We will start by taking a look at the home side, though, which shows four changes from the impressive win away at Sevilla last time out.
Markel Bergara misses out this evening after seeing red in that victory at the reigning Europa League champions last weekend, with Esteban Granero the man to slot into midfield in his absence. But there is no place in the squad for the likes of Oier, Joseba Zaldua, Imanol Agirretxe, Raul Navas and Sergio Canales, who all miss out through various injury problems.
In terms of the visitors, the headline news is that - as we already knew - Luis Suarez will not feature this evening due to suspension. A slight reshuffle was always to be expected, with Rafinha, Sergi Roberto and Arda Turan all being called upon for this one, while Munir will also be given a chance to impress alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar up top.
Claudio Bravo also returns to the starting lineup, as expected, to replace cup expert Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks. Aleix Vidal missed out in midweek due to an injury, and he once more misses the cut for this trip to the Basque Country with that problem still clearly troubling him. A tweaked Barca side, then, but still an incredible strong starting lineup boasting plenty of talent.
BENCH WATCH!
REAL SOCIEDAD SUBS: Bardaji, Bruma, R. Pardo, Zaldua, Hector Hdez, Jonathas, Zubeldia
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, Rakitic, Iniesta, Bartra, Jordi Alba, Adriano, Vermaelen
The one intriguing question to answer this evening is just how strong that Barcelona front three is without the threat of Luis Suarez. That South American trident of Suarez, Messi and Neymar have scored 109 goals between them already this season, but will the chemistry still be there with Munir slotting in. Messi has a landmark milestone of his own to potentially hit this evening - one more goal required to take him to 500 career strikes.
This is a Barcelona side that has not tasted defeat away from home since the start of October, remember - a 19-game run which includes 13 victories and six draws. Three points will be the target this evening, though, as victories for Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid has increased the pressure on the league leaders by a notch as we enter the final weeks of a season that looked all but over just a month ago.
While all eyes will, as ever, be on Barcelona tonight, Sociedad themselves just about have something left to play for - a European berth. As unlikely as that appears at this stage of the season, with 10 points currently the gap on the top six, Eusebio Sacristan will know that picking up three more points on that back of that impressive triumph at Sevilla last time out will renew hope in the camp.
That win at Sevilla was actually the Royals' first in six outings, although the did win six on the bounce prior to their slump in form. That very much explains why this side is rooted in mid-table mediocrity at this stage in the campaign, sitting the same distance between the drop zone and a place in Europe. In truth, finishing ninth - and thus securing a top-half finish - appears to be the most realistic target at this point.
Sociedad are currently eight points adrift of last season's final tally, so with seven games left to play they will be confident of usurping that past high. Sacristan's charges have not taken a home point against any of the division's top-five sides thus far, however, and with Barcelona and Real Madrid to play in two of their next three games here, finding some end-of-season momentum may be tough.
DID YOU KNOW? Real Sociedad have a mixed home record this season to say the least, having won five, lost five and drawn five of their 15 outings at the Estadio Anoeta. Their last triumph here came two months back when seeing off Granada, so they will be keen to put that right over the coming weeks with those key games in the title race against Barcelona and Real Madrid to come.
With kickoff now a little under 15 minutes away in the Basque Country, let us check out the pre-match thoughts from both camps heading into this La Liga showdown.
Eusebio Sacristan: "We will just be trying to exploit our own virtues. Bearing in mind the side we are up against, we need to neutralize their strong points – and they have a lot of strong points. For me, Barca are the best side in the two most important facets of the game – in attack and in defence. They are the most balanced side and the ones who gets the best out of their resources. So we have to be at our best to compete against them. Whenever La Real have played to the best of our abilities, we've been able to beat some of the toughest sides in La Liga."
Luis Enrique: "If we look at the precedents, it's clear there's no other stadium in Spain as difficult for us. A streak as long as that merits some reflection, so we can get to work because one thing is certain - it will be a difficult match. I'd say it is the most difficult away match of the season. These three points would be a big help after having gone so many years without winning there. There are still seven games left. It looks to be pretty even. We can't get ahead of ourselves until we've mathematically won it."
So Enrique admitting that he is expecting this to be his side's toughest away outing of the season, having seen Barca go nine years - and six games - without picking up victory here. Sociedad may have little to play for on the face of it, but Sacristan knows all too well what will happen if his charges approach this game with the handbrake on - it could end in an embarrassing manner.
The full-time whistle has sounded in Catalonia, where Atletico Madrid have defeated Espanyol 3-1 - after falling a goal behind in the first half - to move within three points of league leaders Barcelona. That was preceded by Real Madrid's routine 4-0 win over Eibar earlier today, so the pressure is now very much on the Catalan giants for the first time in a while to pick up a win here tonight.
Barcelona have certainly not been at their rampant best over the past month either side of the international break, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal before that aforementioned loss at the hands of rivals Real Madrid last weekend. All of a sudden the title race looks far more open, with defeat for the Catalan side this evening - and thus a three-game run without a league win - allowing Real and Atletico to pounce in the coming weeks.
On the flip side, victory of any sort and all of a sudden Barca will return to their rather comfortable position of being six points clear ahead of that return tie against Atleti on Wednesday night, while also having a Copa del Rey final to look forward to at the end of the season. This really is the business end of the season now, so Enrique - minus Luis Suarez in attack tonight - will need his side to click back into gear over the coming days.
PREDICTION! On the face of it this one can only end one way, surely? Barcelona are top of the table, some 38 points ahead of their opponents who have very little to play for in their current mid-table standing. Real Sociedad's Anoeta home has been the ultimate bogey venue for Barca over the past decade, though, as noted by Luis Enrique pre-match when claiming that this will be his side's toughest away fixture of the season. That said, I believe the visitors will come out on top in a rather efficient manner, claiming a 3-1 victory to take back to Catalonia.
Both sets of players have now made their way down the tunnel at the Estadio Anoeta, with kickoff just a matter of minutes away. This should be an intriguing clash, but one that Barcelona really should be coming out on top on despite their recent woes here.
KICKOFF! Barca get us underway in their Catalan-inspired strip, looking to make a quick start to quieten this passionate home crowd. Not since Frank Rijkaard was manager here in 2007 have Barca picked up three points at this venue.
SAVE! A brilliant passing move from the visitors ends with Munir being played through thanks to a fortunate deflection, but Geronimo Rulli made himself big to keep out the shot. The linesman looked to have raised his flag but the final touch came off a Sociedad player.
GOAL! REAL SOCIEDAD 1-0 BARCELONA (MIKEL OYARZABAL)
What a start to this match at Anoeta, which is once more proving to be a bogey ground for the hosts! Rulli was forced into a big save to deny Munir three minutes in, but soon after that a cross from the right was met superbly by Oyarzabal, who flicked the ball over Bravo with a fine header from eight yards out.
Messi unable to keep his attempt on target from a corner when blasting over. The most frantic of starts to this match in he Basque Country; one which the home side have taken the lead in from their very first attacking move of the match. Can Barca respond to that early setback?
Not a lot between the two sides since that early breakthrough goal, but Barcelona are certainly the team more in control at the moment. Messi was clattered into a short while ago and went down holding his Achilles, but he appears to be fine to continue.
The Barca front three have barely had a sniff since that Munir chance two minutes in, with Messi blasting well over the target from his only attempt thus far. The Royals will be delighted by this start to the contest, finding a nice balance between defence and attack.
Oyarzabal may still be a teenager but he plays like someone with far more experience. The youngster earns a throw high up the field off Pique to relieve some of the pressure that had been starting to build on his side up the other end of the field.
Some good work from Illarramendi helps earn Sociedad a corner, which Vela swings into a decent position. Barca just about clear their lines, blocking away a volleyed attempt, but they are struggling to really impose themselves on this game at the moment.
Alves so nearly picking out Messi with a ball from 45 yards out, but the offside flag was rightly raised. The champions still trail 1-0 with close to a quarter of this match played, courtesy of Oyarzabal's superb header five minutes in at Anoeta.
A good passing spell from Barca, something we have not really seen enough of so far, ends with Messi being hacked down 25 yards form goal. Time to panic if you are a Sociedad supporter, as this is very much in shooting range.
The free kick was fairy central, so Messi could have gone either side with his attempt, but in the end the wall jumped high to block it behind for a corner. It just has not happened for Barca so far, but we still have around 68 minutes left to play in the Basque Country.
YELLOW CARD! Asier Illarramendi loses his 50-50 challenge up against Busquets, and goes into the referee's book after catching his opponents with a studs-up tackle. Barca enjoying a good spell at the moment without really creating anything in the final third.
Vela is picked out unmarked in a central position and blasts the ball back off the upright, but the offside flag was already up. Barca had dominated the past few minutes, although all of a sudden Sociedad are enjoying a fruitful spell of their own in this evenly-matched contest.
I asked in the pre-match build-up just how much Barca would miss Suarez, and in truth the answer so far is pretty telling - a lot! Messi has three men on him when trying to weave his way through, without having the option to slip one through to Suarez who always seems to evade his marker.
Alves this time the man caught offside to bring another Barca attack to an abrupt end. The visitors just lacking width at the moment, struggling to create any chances of note since Munir's opening three minutes in.
The Catalan club have been made to look so incredibly ordinary in the opening third of the match, with still just the four goal attempts all evening - just one of which has ended on target. Never easy when playing against a defensive side, though, and it just takes one lapse in concentration for all that to change.
SAVE! Barca finally work another opening inside the opposition box, but yet again Geronimo Rulli is equal to the attempt. Neymar flicked the ball into the path of Turan, whose cleanly-struck shot was well kept out down low by the Sociedad stopper.
That was much better from Barcelona to get themselves in behind Sociedad, but the finish was just lacking from Turan. Certainly promise for the remainder of this match, which is just beginning to swing in the visitors' favour at the moment.
The Royals just need to remain compact for these next five minutes or so up to half time, but the question remains whether they can keep this up for the full 90. Barcelona are the kings of breaking down compact teams when tiring, of course, so this one remains far from over with the scoreline so tight.
Barca really are superb when they get into their passing groove, working the ball patiently across the line out to the right. Six Sociedad players form a compact backline, though, and the cross is cut out by the first of them. So very frustrating for the visitors so far.
A bit of a rarity here - Neymar picking up the ball with a yard of space ahead of him, but his through-ball in the direction of Messi is well cut out. Half time fast approaching now which Sociedad will be pleased to hear.
CHANCE! Sociedad have just completely cut Barca open on the counter, and really should have doubled their lead at the end of the swift move. Alberto De La Bella was slotted through on the left for a clean shot on goal, but he took far too long to get the strike away and his weak effort was eventually cut out. Turan has just received a yellow, meaning he will now be suspended next weekend.
Half time just moment away now, but on the basis of the past five minutes the second goal looks more likely to go the hosts' way than their opponents. A very positive performance from La Liga's ninth-placed side in these opening 45 minutes.
HALF TIME: REAL SOCIEDAD 1-0 BARCELONA
So Sociedad take a one-goal advantage into the break, which many will argue is just about deserved on the basis of what we have seen so far. It would have been a different story entirely had Munir converted when one-on-one two minutes in at Anoeta, but his shot was saved and soon after the hosts were ahead.
A fine cross from the right-hand side was met by Oyarzabal, who leapt highest from a central position to loop the ball into the top corner of the net. Barca struggled to create any chances of note for the vast majority of the half, although they could easily have been level shortly after the half-hour mark when Turan was picked out by Neymar, only to see his shot kept out by Rulli down low.
The game's second goal so nearly fell the hosts' way, however, as a swift counter ended with full-back De La Bella clean through with only Bravo to beat, but he took far too long to pick his spot and saw his eventual shot kept out. That proved to be it in a half that saw just the three shots of note, meaning Sociedad take a 1-0 advantage into the break.
BENCH WATCH!
REAL SOCIEDAD SUBS: Bardaji, Bruma, R. Pardo, Zaldua, Hector Hdez, Jonathas, Zubeldia
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, Rakitic, Iniesta, Bartra, Jordi Alba, Adriano, Vermaelen
Real Sociedad players celebrate after seeing Mikel Oyarzabal open the scoring against Barcelona just five minutes in at the Anoeta. Can the visitors step things up in the second half and claim a victory? We are about to find out...
RESTART! Barcelona saw 73% of possession in that first half, but the onus is now on them to find a way back into this game as the second period gets underway in the Basque Country.
Enrique actually made one change to his side at the break, bringing on Andres Iniesta for Rafinha in what looked like the obvious alteration to make. We can surely expect to see more creativity from the visitors now in this second half, which the Royals have started positively enough.
A rare Sergi Roberto cross has a little too much on it for any visiting player to get on the end of, but Barcelona certainly now showing a little more urgency in the final third. Messi is played in over the top by Iniesta, only for his wild swing to send the ball wide of goal. Half a chance, that.
De La Bella does very well to adjust his body and wrap his foot around a pass into the feet of Messi. Good Barca pressure at the start of this second half, yet still they are not doing a great deal to test Rulli in goal. Momentum will be key over the next 15 minutes of this match.
SAVE! Ever Sociedad player other than Vela now back behind the ball, which is obviously making the task extremely difficult for the visitors. Iniesta has made a telling difference, however, taking matters into his own hands with a long-range drive which Rulli helps over.
Plenty of jeers from home supporters as a decision goes against their side, simply allowing Barca to continue this spell of domination. The Catalan club look far more likely to break down their opponents when Iniesta is on the ball, but now only have around 35 minutes to do so.
BARCELONA SUB! Enrique has opted to make his second alteration of the evening, introducing Jordi Alba in place of Arda Turan. Expect some much-needed width with the addition of the Spanish full-back, and a slight tinker in formation along with it.
Barca's most likely route through at the moment is a long ball from the full-backs into the path of Messi, which has so far not paid off. Sociedad doing more than enough to prevent their opponents creating any chances of note really since Turan's effort late in the first half.
CLOSE! Barcelona within inches of drawing level, as Neymar's free kick from 25 yards out skims the side-netting on its way past. Rulli looked to have it covered, though, with replays showing that the keeper may have even got a fingertip to the ball.
Very much one-way traffic now at the Anoeta, something which can be expected when you are holding onto a lead against arguably the planet's best side. For the sake of La Liga this will be a mammoth result; one which leaves the title race wide open in this final stretch.
Sacristan's charges working so incredibly hard to thwart their opponents, making the substitutions all the more important from the Sociedad head coach. Still yet to see any changes from the hosts, which will likely change over the next five minutes or so.
YELLOW CARD! Still just the one Barca shot on goal this half, coming via Iniesta's long-range drive a little earlier, but the visitors looking more threatening down the left since the arrival of Alba. Sergio Busquets has just been shown a yellow card for what appeared to be dissent.
Sociedad have managed to see out that 15-minute wave of pressure - for now! A short respite following a few stoppages in play, but they felt as though they may have had a penalty. Alba appeared to bring down Vela in the box, yet replays show the referee made the right call as the latter made more of the contact.
BARCELONA SUB! Rakitic comes on to replace Sergi Roberto in the visiting side's final change of the evening. It is now down to those on the pitch to find a way through against this resilient Royals side.
SAVE! The possession stats may show that Barca have dominated this half, and indeed the whole match, but on the balance of things they have not done enough to truly trouble the hosts. That all changed a few moments ago when Pique's knockdown fell nicely to Messi, who saw his subsequent shot kept out by Rulli.
REAL SOCIEDAD SUB! Joseba Zaldua is replaced by Aritz Elustondo in the hosts' first change of the match. Sacristan will surely be looking to break up play as much as possible in these next 15 minutes, starting with this alteration.
Pique is now being fielded in attack essentially. That almost paid off when he knocked the ball down for Messi five minutes ago, and the little Argentine was so nearly in again only to be thwarted at the last second when seeing his shot blocked. Twelve minutes left to play in this match.
REAL SOCIEDAD SUB! David Zurutuza, dripping with sweat as he departs the field, is replaced by Ruben Pardo for these final 10 minutes. Play being broken up constantly now, but Sociedad must ensure that they see through this gameplan.
Super play from Mikel Oyarzabal, who earns his side a corner to relieve this growing pressure. Home supporters celebrate like they have just scored a second, with the youngster now down struggling from cramp. Each passing minute feels like a lifetime for those home fans.
It has now been about six or seven minutes since Barca had any real rhythm to their play, which begs the question - what next? They have run out of ideas to break down this Sociedad side and, with six minutes to go, they will be more than happy to take a point from this one now.
I'm not quite sure where the Sociedad players are getting their energy from, but we have seen plenty of driving runs from them over the past couple of minutes with the intention of working the ball towards the corner flag. Barca on the brink of being shut out here.
CHANCE! Messi's best chance yet, as he is picked out unmarked in the centre of the box with a cross from the right. It was an awkward one for him, though, and he had to take it first time with his head which he directed into the hands of Rulli.
REAL SOCIEDAD SUB! Mikel Oyarzabal, the potential match winner at the moment, is replaced by Hector with time now officially up at the Anoeta. Pique is remaining up front but can Barca get the ball into him? Just minutes remaining here.
SAVE! Another huge moment in this match, as Rulli denies Iniesta once more. The Sociedad keeper has had just four or five saves to make, but he has always been in the perfect position to keep the ball out.
FULL TIME: REAL SOCIEDAD 1-0 BARCELONA
The full-time whistle sounds at the Estadio Anoeta, bringing a close to a match that had supporters gripped throughout. What a huge result it is, too, one that has blown the title race wide open with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid incredibly now back in contention at the top of La Liga.
Mikel Oyarzabal's header five minutes in proved the difference in the end, as Barca saw their handful of shots on goal kept out by Geronimo Rulli who enjoyed a fine evening between the sticks. So Sociedad still on course for a top-six finish, then, while Barca now have it all still to do if they are to regain their title. That is all from us for this evening. Thanks for joining!
