Three much needed points for Málaga in their struggle for La Liga survival as they beat Mallorca 3-0 with one goal from Fernandez and two from Baptista.
Meanwhile, at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid spent much of the second half with only ten men after Albiol dragged down David Villa inside the area, Messi slotting the ball into the net from the resultant penalty.
Quite a frantic game, the first of four consecutive meetings between the two teams in the next couple of weeks, and a bit ill-tempered at times. Not a classic, but certainly entertaining.
It wasn’t until the 82nd minute that Madrid pulled themselves back into the game, also via the penalty spot. Marcelo took a tumble inside the area and Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty to make the final score 1-1.
Barcelona still head La Liga, eight points clear of Real Madrid.