Vitoria (Spain), Dec 3 (IANS): Alaves and Sevilla battled to a 1-1 tie in the Mendizorroza stadium here, a draw that caused the Andalusians to lose their leadership spot in La Liga, with Barcelona supplanting them with its victory over Villarreal.

Alaves got on the board first in the 37th minute on Sunday with a goal by Jony Rodriguez after a misplayed header by Sergi Gomez, reports Efe news.

The home team dominated Sevilla throughout the first half, but after the break with the entry of Pablo Sarabia, their rivals improved and enjoyed more chances, ultimately sinking the equalizer on a shot in the 77th minute by forward Wissam Ben Yedder.

If Alaves had managed to get ahead again and hold that lead through the final whistle, they could have moved into third place on the La Liga table, but during the second half they seemed to withdraw, leaving the field largely to Pablo Machin's boys, although they could not manage to pull out a win either.

Although Alaves recovered and went on the hunt for the victory -- some 12 minutes before the final whistle--but it wasn't enough time for them to find the combination for a winning goal.