Barcelona's Lionel Messi (R) and Valencia's Adil Rami (front) and Miguel Brito fight for the ball during their Spanish first division match in Valencia Wednesday. — Reuters VALENCIA — Cesc Fabregas scored for the fourth straight game to salvage a 2-2 draw for Barcelona at Valencia as the defending champion avoided defeat on a night when top rival Real Madrid was held 0-0 at Racing Santander. Lionel Messi continued his prolific partnership with the former Arsenal player by setting him up for the 77th-minute equalizer as the Catalans twice rallied from deficits. While Barcelona salvaged a point, Madrid staggered to a lackluster result on the Cantabrian coast, marking the first time the Spanish powerhouse has played consecutive league games without a win since the arrival of coach Jose Mourinho. Madrid showed little improvement from its 1-0 loss to Levante Sunday despite a revamped lineup, and failed to create a single clear scoring chance before halftime. “At the end, the points are all that matters and we have let five points slip away from home. It is worrying, yes,” Mourinho said. “In the first half we didn't play much. In the second half we did reach the opponents' territory, but we didn't have many chances to score.” It was Barcelona's third 2-2 draw in the last two weeks, but this time it came away with relief rather than disappointment at having a lead slip away. Valencia remained the overnight leader with 10 points, one better than Real Betis and Malaga, which beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 thanks to Santi Cazorla's exquisite second-half free kick. Bilbao has now lost three straight under new coach Marcelo Bielsa. Barcelona has eight points while Madrid is left with seven. Atletico Madrid also has seven after Radamel Falcao continued his impressive start in Spain by scoring a brace to lead the club to a 4-0 victory over winless Sporting Gijon. Real Betis can go top with 12 points with a fourth straight win to start the season Thursday when Zaragoza visits the newly promoted club. Elsewhere, Levante got its second straight with a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. On Tuesday, Villarreal beat Mallorca 2-0 for its first win of the season. Sevilla drew 0-0 at Osasuna, and Real Sociedad edged Granada 1-0.
