Barcelona vs. Sevilla score: Messi, Barca drop points on the road as La Liga race heats up

Don't look now, but Barcelona's lead atop the standings over Real Madrid is down to three points

Barcelona dropped points at third-place Sevilla on Friday in La Liga, playing out a 0-0 draw that gives Real Madrid a big boost in the title race. Barca led Real by two points ahead of this game and now lead by three after the result, but Real Madrid's head-to-head advantage over Barca means Los Blancos will take over first place with a victory on Sunday against Real Sociedad. 

Barca was the sharper team on the night and had more chances, but just three of the team's nine shots went on frame. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez started up top, Barcelona had 10 corner kicks but could not break down Sevilla defense that regularly played with 10 guys behind the ball.

This was the first time Barcelona failed to score a game since it's 2-0 loss at Valencia at the end of January. 

Barca now has 65 points in the table with a 20-5-5 record. Sevilla moved to 52 points and now has a five-point lead when it comes to a spot in the top four.

Barcelona 0, Sevilla 0  (FT)