Barcelona missed the chance to close the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid after a 0-0 draw against Getafe on Saturday.

The Catalan outfit managed just two attempts on target during the contest, with a strong defensive performance helping Getafe claim a share of the spoils.

The result has left Barca second in the table, four points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Getafe remain 12th.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics

GETAFE
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 24%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 24

BARCELONA
Shots: 23
On target: 2
Possession: 76%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 8

Was the result fair?

Barcelona will argue that their domination of the ball and amount of chances created meant that they deserved to claim all three points, but the Catalan outfit did not really do enough in the final third. Indeed, just two of their 23 attempts were on target and Getafe were comfortable for long periods of the match. The home side had just four attempts throughout, but they had a couple of golden chances, with Angel Lafita bringing a wonderful save from Claudio Bravo in the first period. It would not have been entirely unjust if Barcelona had found a winner late on due to the pressure they applied, but Getafe's work rate and determination deserved to secure some sort of result.

Getafe's performance

Getafe boss Cosmin Contra went for pace in his team, which was not much of a surprise. Lafita and Karim Yoda were deployed in wide areas and both caused problems to the Barca defence. There were also impressive performances from Mehdi Lacen and Michel, who assured that Barca had little time on the ball in the middle of the park. Getafe had to spent long periods without the ball, but they forced the visitors into wide areas on a number of occasions, which was where they were most comfortable. Defensively, Getafe were very strong, but they also carried a real threat in the final third and, on another day, would have scored a couple of goals. It has been a mixed season for Getafe up until this point, but stopping Barcelona's star-studded attack from scoring could be the catalyst to a top-half push in the second part of the campaign.

Barcelona's performance

It is difficult to get away from just how disappointing Barcelona were. As expected, it did not take long for the Catalan outfit to dominate possession, but they never really built on their early pressure. Pedro was pushed further forward following the absence of Neymar, but the Spaniard struggled to influence proceedings, while it was an off day for Lionel Messi. Luis Suarez was their brightest attacker, but the Uruguayan could not find a telling touch. It was a disappointing attacking performance - with just two attempts on target - but Barca also looked nervy in defence, with Dani Alves caught out several times. Had Getafe been a little better in the final third then Barca could have quite easily lost this match. As it stands, they are now four points behind league leaders Real Madrid after 15 games of the season.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Vicente Guaita: Barca did not exactly pepper Getafe goalkeeper Guaita with efforts, but the Spaniard made a stunning save in the first period when he denied Messi from close range. The stopper had a number of crosses to contend with as Barca resorted to high balls in the second period, and he certainly dealt with that danger too. Guaita was also seen organising his back four throughout the contest and there is no question that he strongly aided the home side's positive result.

Biggest gaffe

There is not really one particular moment that sticks out, but Barca's attacking struggles were there for all to see. They spent the majority of the second period camped outside the Getafe box, but gave the ball away a ridiculous amount of times. Too many players had poor afternoons and this time, Messi could not come to the rescue.

Referee performance

It was a fairly lively afternoon for referee Inaki Bikandi, who caused controversy at full time when he blew the whistle during a Getafe attack. In fact, Alvaro Vazquez had broken into the Barca box and finished past Bravo, but full time had already been signalled. Both sides also had penalty appeals in the first period and Barca had a strong case, with Juan Valera quite clearly handling inside the box. Bikandi did not issue a yellow card until the 65th minute and there were just two bookings in total. Both managers will have been disappointed with certain aspects of the Spaniard's involvement.

What next?

Getafe: The capital outfit face Eibar in the second leg of their Copa del Rey clash on Wednesday, before travelling to Granada in the league next weekend.

Barcelona: Barca, meanwhile, hold a four-goal lead over Huesca ahead of the second leg of their Copa del Rey meeting on Tuesday. The Catalan outfit return to league duties at home to Cordoba next Saturday.