Villarreal held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the Spanish league Saturday through David Fuster's equalizer after Pedro Rodriguez had put the defending champion ahead. Rodriguez followed up a rebound to score in the seventh minute after Thierry Henry's first-time volley had struck the crossbar. Fuster scored his third goal of the season by judging his run perfectly to tap in Ruben “Cani” Garcia's looping cross at the far post in the 51st minute. Earlier, Nicola Zigic scored in injury time to give Valencia a 1-0 win against Espanyol as the league resumed after the winter break. The Serbia striker came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute and headed in Joaquin Sanchez's long cross from the right. Barcelona leads with 40 points. Real Madrid is next with 37 and can go level at the top if it beats Osasuna Sunday. Sevilla remained on 30 points after missing a chance to move past Valencia (on 32) as it was beaten 2-1 by Atletico Madrid. Villarreal is ninth with 22 points and Espanyol is 13th with 16 points. With Lionel Messi resting in the stands, Barcelona's attack was led by Rodriguez, Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Despite the early goal, Villarreal settled into its passing game and Barcelona did not dominate possession as it usually does at its Camp Nou stadium. Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna was particularly effective at breaking down the hosts' attacks. Fuster appeared to have beaten goalkeeper Victor Valdes when he met Ruben “Cani” Garcia's cross from the right but his header sent the ball bouncing over the crossbar. Barcelona showed glimpses of the form that saw it win a record six titles in 2009, and Henry was involved in a number of chances. Referee Gonzalo Vazquez continued his tough policy when he booked Villarreal's Ivan Marcano for diving in the area just before halftime, although replays showed that Daniel Alves had appeared to drag the midfielder down. At its Mestalla stadium, Valencia dominated possession despite missing injured midfielders David Silva and Pablo Hernandez. Espanyol was overpowered in midfield for much of the game and was particularly vulnerable down its left flank. The hosts had a string of half-chances in the opening minutes. Juan Manuel Mata's cross in the 14th minute found Miguel Brito, although the Portugal defender fluffed his shot. Moments later, Ever Banega fed David Villa down the right and the Spain striker's shot hit the side-netting. However, though Valencia controlled the game for long spells, its attack lacked bite. Villa appeared certain to score early in the second half when he controlled a long pass, went past two defenders and shot, forcing Carlos Kameni to make an excellent save. The Cameroon goalkeeper thwarted Villa again moments later, saving with his leg. However, as the clock ticked down, Valencia's defense looked increasingly unsettled by Espanyol's occasional counterattacks. Facundo Roncaglia shot just wide in the 63rd and Luis Garcia also came close 10 minutes later, leaving his shot too late and allowing Sanchez to save.
