Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to take a four-point lead in La Liga, but Luis Enrique's club was unable to level the head-to-head goal difference.
Real Madrid beat Barça 3-1 in October and therefore hold the tiebreaker should they finish the season level.
Enrique admitted that getting another goal created conflicting emotions, simultaneously seeking control and seeking chances.
Barcelona was four points behind Real Madrid eight matches ago and there's now 10 matches left.
El Mundo Deportivo described Luis Suárez’s matching-winning strike as “the goal that could be worth a league”; Sport called it “the goal that’s half a league”.