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Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw by Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Stadium to further compound the woes of the La Liga giants.
Zinedine Zidane's side had the opportunity to close the gap on Barcelona for the second time this week after Ernesto Valverde's side were held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo earlier in the week.
However, Los Blancos failed to capitalize on Barcelona dropping points as they were restricted to a 0-0 draw by Bilbao.
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Here are the 5 biggest talking points from the goalless draw between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid:
#5 Real Madrid's ageing squad and Zinedine Zidane's quest for the perfect line-up
Real Madrid may have won back-to-back Champions League titles, thereby becoming the first team in the modern era to have done so, but Los Blancos' squad is ageing and it is showing in their performances this season.
Zinedine Zidane's men are no longer the most feared team on the planet, in fact, teams in Spain are very much equipped to handle what the Santiago Bernabeu outfit has to throw at them.
Zidane needs to identify his perfect line-up and stick by it, to ensure some consistency in the style of play. The Frenchman may be the most tactically flexible manager out there, but he has to ensure that his side is consistent if they are to get out of this slump.
#4 Inaki Williams was once again the bright spot for Athletic Bilbao
The Spanish speedster enjoyed yet another productive game down the wings as he particularly troubled the Real Madrid full-backs.
One of the best counter-attacking teams of the modern generation were given a lesson in their own game by the Basque outfit.
The 23-year-old was inarguably Bilbao's best player and was a particular menace down the right-hand side, causing huge trouble for Marcelo and company.
The Basque outfit would need Williams to be firing on all cylinders to help them get out of their current predicament.
#3 Karim Benzema is finished!
Karim Benzema's stats read as follows:
15 games, 1,090 minutes, 5 goals and 3 assists - with only 2 goals and as many assists coming in La Liga. And that is only this season.
The Real Madrid striker didn't enjoy the most productive last seasons either.
He scored 19 goals while providing another 9 assists, in 48 appearances across all competitions, with only 11 goals coming in La Liga.
Thus, in his last 38 La Liga appearances, Benzema has scored only 13 goals. A paltry sum for the lead striker of a team of the stature of Real Madrid.
Of course, they have Cristiano Ronaldo to help ease the goalscoring burden, but the Portuguese is also aging and it is high-time Real Madrid identified and embedded proper long-term replacements for the 4-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Karim Benzema simply doesn't cut it at the biggest stage of them all and now would be the perfect time for Madrid to move the Frenchman on and try someone else, from within the club or outside, to ease the goalscoring burden on Ronaldo.
The poor form of Benzema also provides Bale with an opportunity to regain the trust of Zidane and establish himself as a key player within the team - for now, it appears, that the Welshman is surplus to requirements at the Santiago Bernabeu and they are definitely a few takers who would splash a good sum for his services.
What will happen in a few months, or maybe 6, who knows?
#2 Athletic Bilbao do not deserve to be 15th
The Basque outfit are currently placed 15th in the La Liga table, having amassed only 14 points from the 14 games they have played this season.
Jose Angel Ziganda's side have struggled to grind out the results to put them in a comfortable position in the table. However, the Basque outfit produced a commendable performance against the reigning La Liga champions and look destined to secure a top 10 finish, if not something better.
The San Mames outfit had 11 shots compared to Madrid's 19, with 4 of them being on target - exactly the same number as the Santiago Bernabeu outfit.
Ziganda's men will have to dig deep and produce similar commendable performances if they are to recover from this early season slump and compete for a top 7 finish - something they barely managed last season.
#1 Sergio Ramos and the love for red cards
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 86th minute, his 19th red-card in La Liga.
Not only did the Spaniard etch his name in the history books for being the player with the most red cards in the history of La Liga, he also afforded Bilabo a slight opportunity to punish Madrid and get their hands on all of the three points.
However, the Real Madrid defence coped up exceptionally in the absence of their leader and made life difficult for the Bilbao forwards.
The 31-year-old was given his marching orders for a second bookable offense after he was adjudged to have elbowed Aritz Aduriz. The red card helped Ramos steer clear of Xavi Aguado and Pablo Alfaro as the footballer with most dismissals in La Liga.
Meanwhile, the points tally by the Santiago Bernabeu outfit after 14 games (28) is the lowest since 2008 that Real Madrid have earned in a similar time span.
The draw helped Barcelona maintain their 8-point lead over their arch-rival and it is something that the Catalan giants' fans will be hoping comes into play at the business end of the season.
