JOIN USBarcelona, in mourning following the death of former coach Tito Vilanova last Friday, came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Villarreal and move to 84 points with three games left. Lionel Messi hit the winner in a dramatic finale.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao boosted their hopes of a place in the Champions League place with a 3-1 win over rivals Sevilla and are now six points clear in fourth.
Lionel Messi hit the winner in a dramatic finale. "We were playing with fire. We were not playing that badly but the goal before half-time was a blow for us. We then went further behind but kept fighting until the end because this is what we have to do until the end of the season," Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta told reporters.
"We still have a small hope in the league, it is not down to us but we need to battle to the end." Atletico's 1-0 win at Valencia made it imperative that an injury-plagued Barca followed suit and they did - just.
Cani and Manuel Trigueros gave Villarreal a two-goal lead with goals either side of halftime.
However, own goals by Gabriel, who deflected in a Dani Alves shot, and Mateo Musacchio, who headed into his own net, levelled the scores before Messi had the final say with a typically clinical finish seven minutes from time.