Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde claimed an "invisible penalty" earned Las Palmas a 1-1 draw on Thursday and gave Atletico Madrid hope in La Liga's title race.

Barca host Atletico on Sunday in a clash of first against second, with the Catalans' lead cut to just five points.

Lionel Messi's brilliant free-kick looked set to restore Barcelona's advantage to seven points ahead of this weekend's showdown at the Camp Nou, but two decisions from referee Antonio Mateu helped lowly Las Palmas take a share of the spoils.

First, Mateu overlooked a handball from goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola outside the box, which could have drawn a red card, and then he awarded a penalty when the ball struck Lucas Digne on the arm and striker Jonathan Calleri made no mistake