LaLiga leaders Barcelona ensured Real Madrid could not gain any ground in the Spanish title chase as Ronald Araújo scored the decisive goal in their 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
Araujo nodded home from a corner in the 24th minute to open the scoring at the Nou Camp, and that proved enough to secure victory for a Barcelona team who had scored 12 goals across all competitions in their last two contests.
It took an excellent display from Barcelona keeper Joan García to preserve the clean sheet, keeping out a number of decent opportunities for Rayo to snatch a point, particularly after the break.