Barcelona fell six points off the pace in La Liga on Sunday after they laboured to a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad, who had a perfectly-legitimate goal disallowed.
Neymar started for Barca, despite the forward’s involvement in a car accident earlier in the day, as MSN started at Anoeta for the first time ever.
Wins for Real Madrid and Sevilla meant Barca travelled to San Sebastian seven points off top spot in La Liga and in third place, and the Catalans’ task was made no simpler due to the fact they had not won at Anoeta in nine years, with Luis Enrique’s two previous trips ending in defeat.
Making Barca’s task even harder was La Real’s run of four straight wins, and the hosts were relentless from the word ‘go’, outpassing, outpossessing and attempting over double the Catalans’ number of shots.
Xabi Prieto spurned two early chances, first having a header saved on the line by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, before failing to guide another on target, despite being completely unmarked in the penalty area.
The opportunities kept coming for a relentless Real as Carlos Vela angled a shot from the left, across Ter Stegen, inches wide of the goalkeeper’s far post.
Barca were then made to sweat over Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique as the pair appeared to have suffered injury relapses, although they ultimately finished the match.
Mikel Oyarzabal, the match-winner at Anoeta last season, suddenly hit a first-time volley in Barca’s D, but he sliced it a yard wide as Luis Suarez looked to stun La Real with a snapshot that curled just wide of Gero Rulli’s right-hand post.
La Real’s dominance was personified by former Madrid man Asier Illarramendi, who attempted 36 passes in the first half, at least 14 more than any Barca player.
The champions had to change something for the restart, which prompted Denis Suarez’s introduction, and it was his namesake Luis who forced Rulli into a fingertip save to push away his free kick.
Moments after Pique had to be looked at again, however, the Barca defence was in sixes and sevens when a long ball came in.
Mascherano tried to shepherd it, but his sliding pass back to Ter Stegen was weak and Vela stole in with a shot, which the goalkeeper saved, although neither he nor Pique on the line could do anything about Willian Jose’s rebound.
Six minutes later, Messi rained on La Real’s parade when Neymar broke down the left and towards the byline, before cutting the ball back for the No 10, who took a touch and blasted a finish past Rulli.
Suarez then ran onto a through ball in the Real box before rounding Rulli and finding the back of the net, but his goal was correctly disallowed.
However, the same couldn’t be said about Juanmi’s effort at the other end, the ex-Southampton striker clearly onside when mopping up Vela’s shot that cannoned off the crossbar.
Denis, meanwhile, looked to be marginally off when he latched onto a through ball in the hosts’ box, but he nevertheless evaded Yuri Berchiche’s tug of the shirt from behind and rounded Rulli, although he couldn’t find a teammate with his cutback.
Another long ball troubled Barca as Vela took it down and looked to place the ball into the bottom-left of Ter Stegen’s goal, but his strike rolled inches wide.
La Real brought on former Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero for the last 10 minutes, marking his first appearance of the season.
He made an instant impact as two chances fell his way, yet his first-time shot in the box was straight at Ter Stegen, despite being unmarked, before he fired another effort from close range, which went over.
Real Sociedad 1-1 Barcelona
Willian Jose 53 (RS) Messi 59 (B)
Real Sociedad: Rulli; Martinez, Inigo, Navas, Yuri; Prieto (Canales 72), Illarra, Zurutuza; Vela, Willian Jose (Juanmi 75), Oyarzabal (Granero 85)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic (Denis 46), Busquets, Gomes; Messi, Suarez, Neymar
Referee: Gil Manzano
