La Liga giant Barcelona rescued a late 2-2 draw against cross-town rival Espanyol, despite a strong start, as it clung to fourth place in the league.

"We didn't play brilliantly, but we played well enough to win. The bad news is that we didn't win," said Barcelona coach Xavi.

Pedri gave Barcelona a second-minute lead but Sergi Darder leveled after 40 minutes and set up Raul de Tomas for a counterattack goal after 64 minutes.

With time running out, Luuk de Jong headed an equalizer that saved a point for Barcelona, but it still end the weekend 15 points behind leader Real Madrid.

It did edge past Atletico Madrid, who won Saturday, on goal difference.

"In the end, we lost more ground," added Xavi.

"We saved a point at the end, which is insufficient, but we are still in the race for the Champions League."

Barcelona applied brisk pressure from the start and quickly gained a reward.

Pedri leaped unmarked at the far post to meet a Jordi Alba cross and volley visiting Barca ahead.

The early domination gradually ebbed.

Darder leveled for the home team with a curling right-foot shot after Barcelona gave the ball away on 40 minutes.

Barcelona became more desperate after Gavi's 56th-minute strike was ruled out because a bemused Frenkie de Jong was offside as the ball caromed off him in the build-up.

Eight minutes later, Espanyol hit the visiting side with a beautifully executed counterattack.

'Game of mistakes'

Darder's long pass caught the Barcelona defense too far forward. De Tomas controlled the ball on his chest, ran on unchecked and drilled a shot past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

"The first goal was a pass that we didn't need to risk, and the second one was a mistake of ours," said Xavi. "But football is a game of mistakes."

"In the end, they were more effective."

As well as Luuk de Jong, Xavi threw on winter signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and, with 18 minutes left, gave Ousmane Dembele, who has refused to sign a contract extension, his first appearance since Jan. 8.

"He can help us," said Xavi. "He is one more for the cause and for the objectives of the season."

Both teams started added time down to 10 after Barcelona's Gerard Pique and Espanyol's Nicolas Melamed tangled in the 90th minute and collected their second yellow cards.

In the sixth minute of added time, Luuk de Jong, a 62nd-minute replacement, leaped to meet a cross from another winter signing Adama Traore and smash a header down and into the net.

Betis thrashes Levante

Barcelona lost ground to third-place Real Betis who won 4-2 at last-place Levante earlier Sunday.

Nabil Fekir, Edgar Gonzalez, William Carvalho put the visitors three up after 42 minutes.

But Dani Gomez replied with his first two league goals of the season, either side of halftime for Levante.

Fekir quelled the resistance with a 49th-minute free kick for the sixth goal in a frantic 39 minutes.

Real Sociedad climbed to sixth as captain Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty and Rafael Alcantara added a second as it beat visiting Granada 2-0.

On Saturday, leader Real Madrid was held to a goalless draw at Villarreal.

That meant Sevilla, who won 2-0 at home to Elche on Friday, cut the lead to four points

Atletico Madrid was involved in an uncharacteristic festival of goals as it beat Getafe 4-3.