The big story: Barcelona salvage 1-1 draw against Villarreal

Lionel Messi’s last-minute free-kick helped Barcelona salvage a 1-1 draw against Villarreal in a La Liga encounter on Sunday.

Villarreal took the lead four minutes into the second half through Nicola Sansone. Barca, though, failed to bring back parity for much of the second period despite a few close chances. They also had a penalty denied after a Messi shot was handled by Villarreal’s Bruno.

Barcelona had to wait until the dying minutes of the game to level the scores as Messi converted from the set-piece. The draw means Barcelona now trail leaders Real Madrid by five points and lie in third place.

Other top stories

  • John Terry was sent off in his first start since October as Chelsea beat Peterborough 4-1 in their FA Cup third-round game.
  • Tottenham beat Aston Villa 2-0 in a hard-fought contest in the FA Cup third round. Ben Davies and Son Haung-min scored in the 71st and 80th minute respectively.
  • Liverpool’s youngest ever starting XI were held to a goalless draw by League Two side Plymouth Argyle in their FA Cup third-round tie at Anfield on Sunday.
  • Mesut Ozil said he is willing to sign a contract extension at Arsenal but wants to know if Arsene Wenger would be staying on as manager.
  • Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly planning a £60 million bid for Arsenal’s Chilean star Alexis Sanchez in a possible summer move.
  • A first-half strike by Balwant Singh saw 10-man Mohun Bagan edge Churchill Brothers 1-0 in their opening I-League clash on Sunday.