Alba a major beneficiary from Neymar's exit and other things learned

Midway through the first half, Barcelona took the lead when Lionel Messi’s shot was horribly mishandled by Valencia keeper Neto, who saw the ball squirm through his arms and bounce nearly a foot over the line before he desperately swatted it away.

Except Barcelona didn’t actually take the lead, because referee Ignacio Iglesias and his assistant somehow contrived to rule that the ball had not crossed the line, waving play on to prompt utter disbelief all around the stadium.

It was a truly horrendous decision but it stood because La Liga is the only major league in Europe which does not use technology to help eradicate such mistakes. There are plans to introduce video assistant referees next season, but goalline technology – which would have instantly corrected this scarcely believable error – has been ruled out by La Liga president Javier Tebas, who believes it is too expensive.

Given the embarrassment caused by this decision, however, and the amateurish perception it creates, the question is whether La Liga can really afford NOT to have goalline technology. The matter is sure to be debated in the next few days.

VALENCIA FAIL TO CONVINCE

After a run of eight consecutive wins to leap into second place in La Liga, this game was Valencia’s chance to prove they truly belong in the thick of the title race.

But although they didn’t entirely fluff their lines, they were slightly flattered by this draw after being thoroughly outclassed in the first half and benefitting from a ludicrous officiating decision to rule out Messi’s goal.

The home team were much better after the break but, in truth, they did not really look good enough to win the title over a nine-month slog.

There’s certainly quality in the ranks and commendable manager Marcelino has them extremely well-drilled, so a challenge for a top four place is certainly realistic – and that would be a major achievement in itself.

But that’s not enough to win arguably the most competitive league in the world. The margin for error to top Barca and Real Madrid over 38 games is so slim it’s hard to see how Valencia can really maintain their current challenge – even their eight-game winning streak has left them four points behind the leaders, and failure to win this game probably killed off any realistic chances of lasting the course.

ALBA MAJOR BENEFICIARY FROM NEYMAR DEPARTURE

During the second half of last season, Jordi Alba’s stock fell so low that he was often left out of the Barcelona line-up by then-boss Luis Enrique and it didn’t even cause much comment.

Alba’s gradual loss of form was the result of an imbalanced team shape which over-emphasised the front three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, with little opportunity for others to contribute to the attack.

On Sunday night, though, Alba showed how his career has been rejuvenated since the departure of Neymar by galloping forward to meet Messi’s exquisite through ball and producing an excellent first-time volleyed finish into the roof of the net.

If Neymar had still been in the team, it’s highly unlikely that Alba would have got himself into such a position in the first place because that space was exclusively reserved for the Brazilian.

But PSG’s mega-money summer swoop created the opportunity for Alba to become a greater attacking presence and he has seized it eagerly, already delivering four assists this season and now rescuing a vital point with an extremely well-taken goal.