Barcelona was held to a draw by local rivals Espanyol in a chaotic New Year’s Eve derby at the Nou Camp.
After seven minutes, Marcos Alonso gave Barca the lead, but a Joselu penalty brought them back.
In the waning seconds, Barcelona fullback Jordi Alba was given a second yellow card, and the visitors’ Vinicius Souza was also expelled.
Leandro Cabrera of Espanyol was also dismissed by the referee, though VAR overturned that decision.
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Barcelona, despite their loss, reclaimed first place in La Liga on goal differential over Real Madrid, who defeated Real Valladolid 2-0 on Friday.
On Saturday, Alonso nodded home from close range following a flick by defensive partner Andreas Christensen, but Barcelona missed several chances to extend their advantage.
They were made to pay with 17 minutes remaining when Alonso clipped Joselu in the penalty area, with the ex-Stoke and Newcastle striker picking himself up to slot the spot-kick down the middle.
Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz – who officiated the chaotic Argentina versus Netherlands quarter-final at the 2022 World Cup – handed out a total of 16 yellow cards and two reds in the game.
Along with 15 yellows for players, Barcelona manager Xavi was also booked for complaining about one of Lahoz’s decisions.
