Barcelona's 100% record in La Liga came to an end on Wednesday as Malaga earned a deserved goalless draw against the title chasers.
In a match dominated by two stubborn defences, Malaga created the better chances as Barcelona failed to recreate the same form their supporters have enjoyed watching this season.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the key talking points from the match.
Match statistics
Malaga
Shots: 6
On target: 2
Possession: 30%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 15
Barcelona
Shots: 10
On target: 0
Possession: 70%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
Usually in a goalless draw, one side can count themselves slightly lucky, but not tonight. Malaga fans will tell you that they created the better chances, and that was certainly true. However, on the balance of play, a draw must be considered the fairest result.
Malaga's performance
One thing is certain, a draw is definitely a better result for Malaga. Javi Gracia's side produced a defensive masterclass to frustrate the visitors as they reduced the space on offer in midfield, and won every individual battle against Barca's attacking players. They defended from the front, too, with Nordin Amrabat leading the line to close down every player in a Barcelona shirt.
Barcelona's performance
Surprisingly poor from Luis Enrique's side. When was the last time you saw Barcelona fail to register a shot on target? It was an uninspiring display going forward from the title challengers as Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Pedro all struggled to find the space they crave. Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta saw plenty of the ball in midfield, but they were prevented from making any impact in the game. Enrique will rarely see this group of players produce such a poor attacking display.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Sergio Sanchez: The 28-year-old typified everything that was great about Malaga in this match. Sanchez made an incredible number of tackles and interceptions. He led the defence superbly, and was a big reason why Messi had a rare quiet night at the office.
Biggest gaffe
It's a tough choice, but Weligton risked ruining all of his side's good work late on when he grabbed Messi by the face. Luckily for the Brazilian, he was only shown a yellow card.
Referee performance
Alejandro Hernandez only really made one mistake as he decided against sending off Weligton, but a congested penalty area could have played a role in that choice.
What next?
Malaga: Gracia's side return to action against Getafe on Sunday morning.
Barcelona: The title chasers will look to return to winning ways when they host Granada on Saturday.
Callum Mulvihill
