Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead set up by Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic in the final 13 minutes as Deportivo la Coruna struck a blow to their title hopes with a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Despite missing the injured Neymar, the European champions looked on course to bounce back from last weekend's 1-1 draw at Valencia thanks to stunning strikes from Messi and Rakitic.
However, Lucas Perez scored for the sixth consecutive game to bring Deportivo back into the game at the Nou Camp before he set up Alex Bergantinos to fire home an equaliser four minutes from time. Barca now lead Atletico Madrid by three points at the top of the table, but Diego Simeone's men can move joint top with victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Real Madrid, who are two points further adrift of Atletico, travel to Villarreal on Sunday.
With Barcalona not in La Liga action next weekend due to their participation in the Club World Cup, they could fall to third before the end of the month. "It is little inexplicable. We lost control when we had to have it and we made it easier for them when it was 2-0," Barca captain Andres Iniesta told Canal Plus.