Barcelona held 2-2 by defiant Villarreal

Spanish leaders Barcelona have been held to a 2-2 draw by defiant fourth-placed Villarreal Sunday, a result that ended Barca's 12-match winning run in La Liga.

Barca dashed into a 2-0 first-half lead through goals from Ivan Rakitic and Neymar, the latter from a non-existent penalty.

However, Villarreal refused to lie down and die.

Cedric Bakambu reduced arrears after keeper Claudio Bravo had parried a shot from Denis Suarez, then Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu clumsily pushed a Villarreal corner into his own goal with his arm.

The draw stretched Barca's unbeaten run in all competitions to 39 games and left them nine points above second-placed Atletico Madrid, who crashed 2-1 on Saturday at lowly Sporting Gijon.