Match ends, Granada CF 1, Barcelona 0.
GranadaGranada1BarcelonaBarcelona0
Barcelona's hopes of retaining their La Liga title suffered a major setback with a surprise loss at lowly Granada.
Algeria midfielder Yacine Brahimi hit the winner, holding off Martin Montoya before finding the net.
Granada keeper Orestis Karnezis pushed out Lionel Messi's beautifully-flighted free-kick before saving at the feet of Sergio Busquets as Barca pressed.
Leaders Atletico Madrid will move four points clear of Barca if they win at relegation-threatened Getafe on Sunday.
Barca drop to third, with five matches remaining, after Real Madrid eased to a 4-0 win over second-bottom Almeria at the Bernabeu.
The Catalans knew they would provisionally move top of La Liga with a win that most expected them to earn at Granada.
But, despite enjoying over 80% of the possession, they were unable to cancel out Brahimi's early opener, adding further misery to an already wretched week.
Fresh from their Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico, Barca found themselves trailing when the Algeria international outpaced Montoya before beating goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto with a powerful angled drive.
The visitors upped the tempo with Karnezis pushing Neymar's curling effort wide and Cesc Fabregas having a shot blocked by Granada's on-loan Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori.
After the break, Barca continued to pin back the hosts with an equaliser seemingly almost a matter of time.
But Gerardo Martino's men could not find a way past Granada's inspired goalkeeper Karnezis. The Greece international showed superb reactions to push away Fabregas' first-time shot, before clawing out a 20-yard free-kick from the largely anonymous Messi.
Then, he bravely dived at the feet of Busquets in the six-yard box following a corner.
With Barca pouring forward, Granada almost netted a second in the final moments as Youssef El Arabi raced clear on the counter before being denied by Pinto in a one-on-one situation.
But it mattered little as Barcelona, who face Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final on Wednesday, suffered a second straight defeat.
Line-ups
Granada
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Karnezis
- 2Nyom
- 22Foulquier
- 18Iturra
- 6Ilori
- 24MurilloSubstituted forMainzat 90+1'minutes
- 4Rico Castro
- 14García del Pozo
- 9El-Arabi
- 20Medina LunaSubstituted forCoeffat 73'minutes
- 10BrahimiSubstituted forBravoat 65'minutes
Substitutes
- 5Mainz
- 7Ighalo
- 13Fernández Alvalleros
- 19Coeff
- 28Fatau
- 34Bravo
- 36Success
Barcelona
Formation 4-3-3
- 13Pinto Colorado
- 2Montoya
- 21CorreiaSubstituted forAlbaat 67'minutes
- 17Song
- 16BusquetsBooked at 67minsSubstituted forSánchezat 74'minutes
- 14Mascherano
- 4Fábregas
- 8Iniesta
- 10MessiBooked at 65mins
- 7Pedro
- 11NeymarBooked at 45mins
Substitutes
- 6Hernández
- 9Sánchez
- 18Alba
- 20Tello
- 22Alves da Silva
- 24Roberto Carnicer
- 25Olazábal Paredes
- Referee:
- Carlos Delgado Ferreiro
- Attendance:
- 23,500
Match Stats
Home TeamGranadaAway TeamBarcelona
- Possession
- Home19%
- Away81%
- Shots
- Home5
- Away29
- Shots on Target
- Home4
- Away9
- Corners
- Home1
- Away13
- Fouls
- Home10
- Away5
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Granada CF 1, Barcelona 0.
Post update
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Fran Rico.
Post update
Attempt missed. Javier Mascherano (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Lionel Messi with a cross following a set piece situation.
Post update
Javier Mascherano (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Manuel Iturra (Granada CF).
Post update
Attempt saved. Pedro (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution
Substitution, Granada CF. Diego Mainz replaces Jeison Murillo because of an injury.
Post update
Delay in match Jeison Murillo (Granada CF) because of an injury.
Post update
Attempt saved. Youssef El-Arabi (Granada CF) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt saved. Youssef El-Arabi (Granada CF) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Pedro with a cross.
Post update
Attempt missed. Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez with a cross following a corner.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Post update
Delay in match Jeison Murillo (Granada CF) because of an injury.
Post update
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Tiago Ilori.
Post update
Attempt missed. Martín Montoya (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez.
Post update
Attempt missed. Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Lionel Messi following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Nyom.
