Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Real Madrid and neighbours Atletico were held to draws leaving Barcelona with an eight-point lead at the top of La Liga and 13 matches left.
Third-placed Real, who took the lead with a Ronaldo header, were pegged back in a 1-1 draw at Malaga and are nine points adrift in the race to try and halt Barca's progress towards a second successive title and sixth in eight seasons.
Atletico, one point closer to Barcelona in second spot, could only manage a dour 0-0 draw at home to Villarreal.
Barcelona, who won 2-1 at Las Palmas on Saturday, have 63 points to Atletico's 55 and 54 for Real before the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu next Saturday.
Spanish media headlines sounded the death knell for Real's title hopes, saying they had kissed the La Liga crown goodbye.
Ronaldo put Real ahead when he rose unmarked but in an offside position to head a Toni Kroos free kick over Carlos Kameni in the 33rd minute for his 22nd league goal this season.
He was denied a second goal three minutes later as Kameni dived to his left to save Ronaldo's spot kick after the Portuguese forward was brought down by Weligton.
Malaga scored a deserved equaliser in the 66th minute when central defender Raul Albentosa, unmarked in the middle of the box, volleyed home a cross from the left.
"Malaga are a great team, they made it tactically difficult. Today we failed but we won't surrender, we'll fight to the end," Real left back Marcelo said. "The draw tastes like a defeat."
The home side would not have been flattered with a victory as Real were indebted to goalkeeper Keylor Navas who twice denied Charles, Juanpi and Duje Cop.
Kameni also made saves from Sergio Ramos and Jese but Malaga were the more cohesive team and Real missed the thrust of a centre forward with Karim Benzema absent through injury.
The only consolation for visiting coach Zinedine Zidane was that the draw at least extended his unbeaten run in his new job to eight matches in both La Liga and the Champions League.
