Club World Cup Champions Barcelona were guilty of being profligate in front of goals, as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw in the Catalan derby with Espanyol.
On Sunday, Real Madrid played out a classic La Liga encounter, drawing 2-2 in a thrilling game with Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium.
Villarreal stay just one point behind Real Madrid, as the Yellow Submarines won 2-1 against Deportivo.
Elsewhere, Malaga beat Celta Vigo 2-0, Sevilla suffered a 2-1 defeat against Granada, and Bilbao could only salvage a draw (2-2) against Las Palmas.