Barcelona were battered by an energetic Rayo Vallecano press, while their midfield trio endured a miserable night in a 2-1 loss that saw title celebrations put on hold.
Alvaro Garcia opened the scoring for Rayo inside 20 minutes, blasting his shot into the bottom corner after a well-worked counter. Barcelona thought they had an equaliser when Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net, but the striker was narrowly offside.
Fran Garcia added a Rayo second, the reported Real Madrid summer signee bursting through on goal to finish unmarked.
And although Lewandowski pulled one back late with a powerful strike, Barcelona were made to rue a sloppy performance. It is only a matter of time before Xavi's side are officially La Liga champions. But with just one win in their last five, they aren't making it easy.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadio de Vallecas...