Stoke drew a blank for the second consecutive home game despite numerous chances in both halves.
A frantic final twenty minutes at the Britannia meant chances galore following a poor first half, but the Potters failed to grab a goal from the opportunities that were created.
The second game in four days saw Tony Pulis make a number of changes following the one-all draw at Hull over the weekend.
Jon Parkin made his first league start of the season in place of Mamady Sidibe whilst Stephen Wright and Carl Dickinson both returned to the line-up following injuries.
And it was Dickinson who endured early pressure as the tricky Jamal Campbell-Ryce teased down the right flank.
His ball to the edge of the box found Grant McCann on twelve minutes, and after shuffling his feet to find space to shoot, he could only blast his shot straight at Steve Simonsen.
City failed to keep the ball in the final third with the absence of Mamady Sidibe, but did create half-chances with Richard Cresswell among those with tame efforts on goal.
Campbell-Ryce then created another chance after beating Dickinson on the right-hand side but his cross was headed away successfully by Jody Craddock.
Midway through the half, Jon Parkin had his first chance of the game, but he could only swing his shot into Heinz Muller's arms following a cross from Liam Lawrence.
Campbell-Ryce, who had switched over to the left wing, then used his to pace to get past two defenders and feed the ball into Brian Howard's path.
Howard dinked the ball over to the far post but Kayode Odejayi could only head wide despite not being picked up by a defender.
Anderson, the Brazilian on loan from Everton, then followed with a strike at goal minutes later but his effort blazed over the bar.
With twelve minutes remaining of the half, Jon Parkin went close to scoring when he connected to a Richard Cresswell free-kick following a foul on Ricardo Fuller.
Parkin arrived unmarked at the back post and was unlucky not to hit the target with his jumping volley.
Ricardo Fuller then again created something out of the nothing on the left hand side, beating two men to force a corner.
Liam Lawrence whipped in the cross but Cresswell could only head over as the half petered out with the score remaining goalless.
The second period started much brighter, however, and a trademark bustling run from Ricardo Fuller on the left created a chance for Cresswell. His stabbed attempt on goal was deflected out for a corner but City failed to hit the target with the flag-kick.
Carl Dickinson, returning from his injury problems, was then substituted by Gabriel Zakuani on 52 minutes following a suspected reoccurrence of his ankle injury.
Fuller continued to remain City's best threat and a powerful run down the middle by the Jamaican saw his strike on goal deflected for a corner.
Fuller then went close to scoring from Liam Lawrence's cross but his header hit the top of the bar and went out into the Boothen End.
Campbell-Ryce then continued his trickiness in the second period, beating Stephen Wright and delivering a great ball into the back post but Odejaye failed to hit the target with a header.
City then hit the visitors on the break and Cresswell was put through on goal but Dominik Werling raced across to cover and forced the ball out for a corner.
Ryan Shawcross could have perhaps done better from the resulting corner; he could only head over with no Barnsley defenders around him.
Midway through the half Stephen Wright went close to opening the scoring with a terrific strike from the edge of the box.
The Barnsley rearguard could only clear a corner as far as Wright and he unleashed a shot straight for the bottom right hand corner but Muller got across well to tip around the post.
City continued to press and Liam Lawrence fed Ricardo Fuller in down the right.
He squared the ball into the six-yard box but Mamady Sidibe couldn't reach the cross and Cresswell proceeded to blaze over when it looked easier to score.
The hard-working former Leeds United striker was unlucky though as it looked to have taken a slight deflection from a defender.
The visitors remained a threat on the break, however, and they could have taken the lead themselves had it not been for a last-ditch challenge from sub Gabriel Zakuani.
Neat teamwork by the centre circle saw the ball fall to Odejayi but the DR Congo defender came across well to end the danger with a sliding tackle.
The game started to come to life and Muller in the Barnsley goal again kept the score level with a dive to his right to block Dominic Matteo's low strike.
Anderson then went close for the visitors, but having beat two men and worked his way into the box, the Brazilian saw his left-footed effort fly over Simonsen's bar.
With just stoppage time remaining, Rory Delap was brought down on the right touchline and the Potters were awarded a free-kick.
Lawrence whipped in a deep cross but it was sadly missed at the back post by Matteo.
The winger then forced a corner after beating two men and striking the ball against a defender, but City again failed to create anything from the flag kick.
Sweeney then unleashed a venomous shot from another half-cleared corner but the strike flew just over the bar.
Despite the furious end to the game, the Potters failed to break the deadlock and made it three draws in three games.
CITY (4-4-2): Simonsen; Wright, Craddock, Shawcross, Dickinson (Zakuani 52); Lawrence, Delap, Matteo (c), Cresswell (Sweeney 86); Parkin, Fuller. Subs: Hoult (GK), Eustace, Sidibe.
BARNSLEY (4-4-2): Muller; Kozluk (Nyatanga 8), Foster, Souza, Werling; Campbell-Ryce (Devaney 79), Anderson, Howard (c), McCann; Odejayi, Ferenczi. Subs: Colgan (GK), Togwell, Mostto.
