Barcelona missed the chance to edge past Real Madrid and go on top of the La Liga standings after suffering a surprise 0-2 defeat against Malaga at La Rosaleda Stadium on Saturday.
Barcelona, who are currently at the second spot, could have moved level on points with Real Madrid with a win following the capital side's earlier draw against Atletico Madrid.
However, a first-half strike from ex-Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez in the 32nd minute of the game and a late effort from Jony Rodriguez ended their hopes.
And things went from bad to worse after the interval with a second booking for Neymar - his first red card in LaLiga - following a reckless foul on Diego Llorente near the corner flag, reports goal.com.
The result means Luis Enrique's side remain on 69 points, three behind Real Madrid who have a game in hand. Barcelona face their fierce rivals after next week's match against Real Sociedad.