Atletico Madrid were unable to reclaim third place in the Primera Division after being held to a goalless draw at Espanyol, although Diego Simeone's side played the entire second half with 10 men.
Atletico were the better side even after defender Miranda was shown a straight red card for an elbow, and they were only denied a late winner by some fine goalkeeping by Kiko Casilla.
Although Atletico did well to stay in command of the game after Miranda was dismissed, this was their third straight draw in the league and meant they remained in fourth place behind Valencia, who beat Deportivo La Coruna on Friday.
Antoine Griezmann returned to the starting XI after missing the 1-1 draw with Valencia through suspension and he partnered Fernando Torres in attack, with Mario Mandzukic, along with left-back Guilherme Siqueira, suspended.
The visitors made a bright start to the game and created five chances in the opening 20 minutes. Fernando Torres came closest to scoring when he flicked a Koke free-kick towards goal, but Casilla reacted quickly to tip the ball over the bar.
The goalkeeper also saved well from Gabi's effort from outside the area, while Griezmann flashed a shot just wide of the near post.
Espanyol played a more cautious game and struggled to cause Atletico many problems in either half, even with their numerical advantage. Indeed, Sergio Gonzalez's side only managed one shot on goal over the 90 minutes.
The flashpoint arrived just before half-time when Miranda contested a high ball with Abraham and led with his elbow, hitting the midfielder in the face.
After several minutes' consideration as the two players recovered from the knock, referee Inaki Vicandi Garrido showed the Brazilian a straight red card.
Few Atletico players protested the decision as Abraham was taken off the pitch on a stretcher and taken to hospital as a precaution.
Diego Simeone reacted immediately by taking off Torres and bringing on centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez and the change worked as Espanyol failed to break down the visitors, who had two further chances to win the game.
With 13 minutes remaining Griezmann threaded the ball through to Raul Garcia on the edge of the area, but Casilla got down low to push the midfielder's shot around the far post.
Then the keeper used his feet to repel a weak shot from substitute Arda Turan, and defender Alvaro Gimenez got in the way of the rebound to ensure the game ended goalless.