Atletico Madrid 1-0 Osasuna

Jose Manuel Jurado's brilliant late winner earned 10-man Atletico Madrid a narrow victory over mid-table rivals Osasuna.

Atletico looked in danger of yet another disappointing result at the hands of Osasuna when they lost Simao Sabrosa to a red card in the 57th minute.

However, Osasuna, who had taken 10 points out of 12 in their last four meetings with the capital club, failed to make their numerical advantage count and ended up with nothing thanks to Jurado's 79th-minute strike.

Jurado's effort was undoubtedly the highlight of a match short on thrills as he curled a superb 25-yard over Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo and into the far top corner of the net.

The result helped Atletico climb back up to 10th in the standings, three points clear of 13th-placed Osasuna, while it will also boost their morale ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg at Sporting Lisbon.

Atletico coach Quique Sanchez Flores had been expected to leave out Sergio Aguero with that trip to Sporting in mind - where the two teams are locked at 0-0 following the first leg - but he started the Argentinian up front alongside Diego Forlan.

However, neither of Atletico's two star strikers could make any in-roads during a low-key first half, although Forlan did at least test Ricardo with two long-range efforts.

Playmaker Jurado also brought a fine low save out of Ricardo, but it was left-back Antonio Lopez who had the best chance in the first half.

The Atletico captain looked certain to score as he charged in to meet Simao's outswinging corner at the near post, but his glancing header flew wide of the far post.

Osasuna created a couple of scares of their own, and Shojaei Massoud went close with a low effort that home goalkeeper David De Gea deflected for a corner with his legs.

Atletico fans would have been hoping for better in the second half, but the Rojiblancos' chances of picking up three points suffered a major setback in the 56th minute when Simao was sent-off.

The Portugal international, having been booked in the first half, was shown a second yellow for his challenge on Cesar Azpilicueta.

That gave Osasuna a big boost but, like Atletico on Thursday when they failed to break down a Sporting side that had two players sent off, the visitors did not find it easy to make the most of their extra man.

Former Real Madrid youngster Juanfran Torres brought a save out of De Gea, who also produced a brilliant one-handed stop to claw away Krisztian Vadocz's 30-yard drive.

Aside from those efforts though, Osasuna created little to worry the Atletico defence.

Atletico were not causing much danger going forwards either though, and the match looked destined to finish goalless.

However, Jurado's moment of magic 12 minutes from time broke the deadlock and put Atletico on course for the victory.

It needed another superb save from De Gea three minutes from time to ensure the points would be staying in Madrid though, with the teenager parrying away Josetxo's thunderous drive.

Getafe 3-0 Real Mallorca

Real Mallorca's poor away form returned to haunt them as they slumped to defeat at Getafe.

Mallorca started the weekend level with fourth-placed Sevilla on 43 points, but they missed the chance to further strengthen their push after going down to goals from Daniel Parejo, Miku and Manu Del Moral.

Parejo headed home the opener in the 32nd minute, substitute Miku made it 2-0 10 minutes from time before his fellow replacement Manu wrapped up the scoring soon after from the penalty spot.

In that same incident Mallorca captain Nunes was sent off after handling the ball on the line.

The result leaves the Balearic Island outfit with just two wins and eight defeats from their 14 away games this season, and that is badly hampering their chances of claiming an unexpected top-four finish.

Getafe, on the other hand, will have renewed hope of finishing in the top six after ending a six-match streak without a win in La Liga.

The beaten Copa del Rey semi-finalists began the game in ninth spot, eight points behind Deportivo La Coruna in the final Europa League place.

The opening half-hour of the match produced little to worry either goalkeeper, although Ayoze Diaz's thunderous strike that smashed one of the seats behind the goal might have concerned Getafe goalkeeper Oscar Ustari if it had been on target.

The first decent chance fell to Getafe midfielder Pedro Leon, who was denied by a good block by Dudu Aouate after being put through by Roberto Soldado.

The home side need not have worried about that miss though as within two minutes they were ahead.

Jaime Gavilan's cross from the left was met by Parejo and his close-range header flew into the roof of the net, leaving Aouate no chance to repeat his heroics of moments before.

The second half followed a similar script, with Getafe making most of the running and looking the more likely scorers.

Javier Casquero and Pedro Leon both had efforts saved by Aouate while Parejo fluffed a good opening at the far post.

In a rare Mallorca attack, Gonzalo Castro fired in a cross-shot that Ustari did well to hold, and that gave warning to the home side that their lead was a precarious one.

Getafe changed all that in the closing stages though as they scored twice in five minutes through two of their replacements.

Miku had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes when he picked up a pass from Parejo and squeezed a low shot past Aouate.

Michel's men then wrapped up the scoring soon after from the penalty spot.

Aouate did superbly to deny two Getafe players in quick succession but in the ensuing goalmouth scramble the ball looked set to roll over the line, only to be seemingly stopped by Nunes' hand.

The referee immediately pointed to the spot and, after consulting his assistant and ignoring the protests of the Mallorca players, he sent off Nunes.

From the resulting penalty Manu fired into the corner to seal a deserved return to winning ways for Getafe.

Valencia 0-0 Racing Santander

Valencia missed the chance to tighten their grip on a Champions League spot after being held to a draw by Racing Santander.

Valencia could have gone six points clear of nearest challengers Real Mallorca and Sevilla with a victory over 16th-placed Racing tonight, but it was not to be as they yet again slipped up against the Cantabrian side at home.

In their last four league visits to the Mestalla, Racing had picked up 10 from a possible 12 points, while they also held Valencia to a 1-1 draw here during normal time in the Copa del Rey last season before losing 3-1 in extra time.

And it might have been another success story tonight for Miguel Angel Portugal's side as, after surviving two good openings for Valencia hitman David Villa early on, they created the better of the chances only to be denied by home goalkeeper Miguel Moya on three occasions.

Racing youngster Sergio Canales also missed a great opening in the 89th minute just after Valencia had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of centre-back David Navarro.

Valencia came into the match seeking a pick-me-up following their 4-1 drubbing at Atletico Madrid in their last outing, and they started well enough and might easily have been 2-0 up after 22 minutes if Villa had taken his chances.

In the 18th minute the prolific striker was put in by Spain team-mate David Silva but he was unable to beat Fabio Coltorti from 12 yards out.

Villa's next chance did see him beat Coltorti, but this time the near post came to Racing's rescue.

Juan Manuel Mata was the next to try his luck in the 34th minute but rising left-footed shot hit the side-netting.

Racing produced little to worry Valencia's makeshift defence in the opening 45 minutes but they almost snatched a lead to take into the interval through Canales right on the stroke of half-time.

The highly-rated teenager, who was recently signed by Real Madrid with the transfer to go through in the summer, was allowed to race unchecked from the centre circle before cutting inside Navarro, and only the outstretched left foot of Moya denied the youngster after he shot from the edge of the box.

Moya's foot also came to his side's rescue in the 56th minute as Racing threatened again.

Papakouli Diop picked up Canales' pass before bursting between two Valencia defenders, however Moya was out quickly to deny the Racing midfielder and keep his side on level terms.

Canales then saw a dipping volley fly over before Moya produced another fine stop in the 65th minute from Mohamed Tchite.

Tchite, who scored a hat-trick in last season's 4-2 win here, looked certain to score after latching into Christian's low cross, but Moya stuck out his right hand to stop the striker's shot.

Valencia briefly responded with a long-range effort by Ruben Baraja that was comfortably saved by Coltorti, but the home side were struggling to find their rhythm and they suffered another setback in the 87th minute when Navarro was shown a second yellow card for handball.

It looked a harsh decision, but Valencia avoided having salt added to their wounds when, two minutes later, Canales put a great chance over the bar from six yards out following Pedro Munitis' cross.

Spanish La Liga Saturday Review

Rafael van der Vaart scored against Sevilla as Real Madrid took advantage of Barcelona's draw 2-2 at Almeria to return to the La Liga summit.

Lionel Messi twice scored equalisers for Barcelona in a match blighted by some curious refereeing decisions - the first of which saw the kick-off delayed for 15 minutes as official Carlos Clos Gomez took exception to the hosts' shirts, which carried a message of support for the victims of last weekend's earthquake in Chile.

League officials approved the message and, once the match finally kicked off, Domingo Cisma headed Almeria ahead after beating Carles Puyol to a corner.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was sent to the stands for protesting after Messi was denied a penalty, but the balance was redressed when the Argentinian curled home a free-kick harshly awarded for a foul on Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Puyol put through his own goal and Ibrahimovic was sent off for lashing out at Cisma, whose theatrical reaction appeared to influence the decision, but Messi had the final word with a close-range finish.

Real trailed 2-0 against Sevilla as Xabi Alonso turned Diego Capel's cross into his own goal and Iker Casillas allowed Ivica Dragutinovic's free-kick to drift straight in.

But Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back, Sergio Ramos headed the equaliser and, after Madrid had thrice been denied by the woodwork, Van der Vaart bundled in a scrappy close-range goal to settle the match in injury-time.

In the day's other game, Deportivo La Coruna boosted their hopes of a return to European competition with a comfortable 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Tenerife.

Miguel Angel Lotina's side had to come from behind to win the points, though, as Juanlu Hens gave the Canary Islanders a shock lead after 17 minutes.

Juan Rodriguez levelled with a header shortly after the half-hour mark and second-half strikes from Andres Guardado and Diego Colotto ensured all three points for the Galicians, who move provisionally into fifth place.

Match Reports

Real Madrid 3-2 Sevilla

Almeria 2-2 Barcelona

Deportivo 3-1 Tenerife

Spanish La Liga Weekend Preview

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has again heaped praise on "extraordinary" Sevilla winger Jesus Navas.

Ramos' comments come before the weekend's mouthwatering La Liga showdown between the two high-flying clubs at the Bernabeu.

Navas has found himself linked with a move to Madrid following some fine displays this season, and ex-Sevilla player Ramos has admitted he would love to have his fellow Andalusian and former team-mate join him in the capital.

And speaking after last night's international friendly against France in which he came up against another reported Madrid target Franck Ribery, Ramos repeated his recent declaration that he would rather have Navas alongside him than the sought-after Bayern Munich winger.

"Ribery seems a magnificent player to me, but if I had to choose between him and Navas for Madrid, I'd go for Navas, who is extraordinary," said Ramos, who moved to Madrid from Sevilla in 2006.

Ramos will be hoping his Spain colleague has an off-day on Saturday though as Madrid look to continue their superb home form, which has seen them win all 12 of their league matches at the Bernabeu this season, scoring 41 goals and conceding just eight in the process.

The majority of those fixtures have come against sides currently in the bottom half of the table though, and the visit of fourth-placed Sevilla is set to be the biggest test yet for Manuel Pellegrini's side at home.

Sevilla midfielder Renato believes his team need to take the game to the in-form Whites if they are to end Madrid's perfect home record, their six-game winning streak, and put a dent in their title hopes.

"We have to attack them, cause them damage and we will try to take them head on to bring us a good result," said Renato.

Madrid, who will be desperate for a good result ahead of next week's visit of Lyon in the Champions League - where Pellegrini's men need to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, are 16 points ahead of Sevilla and two behind leaders Barcelona.

Barca have not been in top form recently, as admitted by coach Pep Guardiola, but they looked close to their best in defeating Malaga 2-1 last weekend despite needing a late winner from Lionel Messi.

The reigning champions face a potentially tough trip on Saturday though as they take on an Almeria side that has been in impressive form in 2010, winning four of nine matches and losing just once.

Saturday's other match pits Deportivo La Coruna against second-bottom Tenerife, who have taken just two points from their 11 away matches this season.

On Sunday, Malaga could hammer another nail in Xerez's relegation coffin when they play host to their Andalusian rivals. Xerez have won just twice all season and are now 12 points adrift of 17th-placed Real Zaragoza and safety.

Improving Zaragoza put a four-point gap between themselves and the drop zone with their 2-0 win at Getafe last time out, and they will hope to improve on that when they welcome mercurial Atletico Madrid to La Romareda.

The other team in the relegation places, Real Valladolid, travel to Athletic Bilbao.

Also, fifth-placed Real Mallorca face Sporting Gijon, Villarreal go to Espanyol and Osasuna face Getafe.

On Monday night, third-placed Valencia meet Racing Santander.

Spanish La Liga Weekend Review

A review of the La Liga matches played over the weekend.

David Silva opened the scoring for the visitors after 21 minutes but the game turned on a contentious incident nine minutes later which saw Forlan draw Atletico level from the penalty spot.

Valencia lost captain Carlos Marchena to a red card in that incident, but they still managed to keep Atletico out for nearly 50 minutes, thanks largely to some brilliant goalkeeping from Cesar Sanchez.

Cesar was finally beaten by Sergio Aguero's 79th-minute header and soon after that Valencia suffered another blow when they had full-back Miguel sent off.

Forlan's second and Jose Manuel Jurado's strike at the death completed the rout.

Athletic Bilbao secured a valuable point in a goalless draw at 10-man Sevilla.

The Basque outfit suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Anderlecht just three nights ago, but Joaquin Caparros' side produced a positive reaction to move a point closer to a return to European competition.

They were aided by Ndri Romaric's 50th-minute sending-off for fourth-placed Sevilla, who nevertheless moved to within three points of Valencia in the race for third.

Real Mallorca reignited their European challenge with a 2-1 win over struggling Real Valladolid.

Alberto Bueno gave the hosts the lead against the run of play five minutes after half-time but Ruben Gonzalez equalised 19 minutes later and Julio Alvarez struck the winner seven minutes from time.

Villarreal put a miserable week behind them with a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at El Madrigal.

Joseba Llorente struck the only goal of the game in the 36th minute as Villarreal bounced back from last weekend's 6-2 league mauling at Real Madrid and Thursday's 4-1 Europa League loss at Wolfsburg.

Sporting Gijon came from behind to seal an important and entertaining 3-2 win over Osasuna.

Miguel De Las Cuevas gave Sporting the lead after 17 minutes but Javad Nekounam levelled from the penalty spot to leave the scores even at the break.

Osasuna looked to have taken control of the match as Krisztian Vadocz gave the Pamplona-based side the lead with a deflected effort four minutes into the second half.

But Sporting produced a late revival to seal all three points thanks to a David Barral strike with 20 minutes remaining and Diego Castro's penalty 10 minutes later.

Racing Santander failed to ease their relegation fears as they went down to a third straight league defeat at home to Almeria.

A goal in each half from Fernando Soriano and Albert Crusat left the hosts five points above the drop zone.

Rock-bottom Xerez and Espanyol shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Estadio Municipal de Chapin.

Dani Osvaldo gave Mauricio Pochettino's side the lead after 18 minutes but the Barcelona-based side were pegged back late on by Mario Bermejo.

On Saturday, Barcelona beat Malaga to maintain their lead over Real Madrid who defeated Tenerife 5-1 away. Getafe lost 2-0 at home to Real Zaragoza.

Match Reports

Atletico Madrid 4-1 Valencia

Sevilla 0-0 Athletic Bilbao

Sporting Gijon 3-2 Osasuna

Xerez 1-1 Espanyol

Racing Santander 0-2 Almeria

Real Valladolid 1-2 Real Mallorca

Villarreal 1-0 Deportivo

Barcelona 2-1 Malaga

Getafe 0-2 Zaragoza

Tenerife 1-5 Real Madrid

La Liga Saturday Review

Review of the three La Liga matches played on Saturday.

Lionel Messi struck a late winner to help Barcelona overcome battling Malaga and keep their place at the top of the Primera Division standings.

Barca had temporarily been knocked off the summit following Real Madrid's 5-1 win over Tenerife earlier in the evening but the champions reclaimed pole position after making it 11 wins from 12 league games at the Nou Camp this season.

Pep Guardiola's side, who have struggled for top form in recent weeks, had to bide their time to break down Malaga though despite dominating most of the match.

Pedro Rodriguez was the man to end the deadlock in the 69th minute but it would be Messi who was the match-winner with his 84th-minute tap-in coming after Malaga had shocked their hosts by drawing level through substitute Valmiro Valdo.

Gonzalo Higuain was the star of the show as Real Madrid recorded a tougher sixth successive Primera Division win than the 5-1 scoreline suggests.

Higuain struck Madrid's opening two goals and, after Tenerife pulled a controversial goal back through Ayoze Garcia just after half-time, he then set up Kaka to make it 3-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo, from the penalty spot, and substitute Raul added further goals in the final 10 minutes.

Humberto Suazo took advantage of some more poor Getafe defending to help relegation-threatened Real Zaragoza claim only their second away win of the season.

Suazo struck twice in the opening 19 minutes, the first following a dismal back-pass from David Cortes and the second after slack marking allowed him to head home Gabi's free-kick unchallenged right in front of goal.

Zaragoza also hit the woodwork late on through Javier Arizmendi as they clinched a deserved, and much-welcomed, three-point haul.

Match Reports

Barcelona 2-1 Malaga

Getafe 0-2 Zaragoza

Tenerife 1-5 Real Madrid

Spanish La Liga Weekend Preview

Real Madrid will hope to put more pressure on out-of-sorts leaders Barcelona by replacing them at the top of La Liga - if only for a couple of hours.

Madrid's earlier kick-off on Saturday night means that if they can defeat relegation-threatened Tenerife then they will move a point clear at the summit ahead of Barca's late match against Malaga.

Barca are still firm favourites to defeat Malaga but with coach Pep Guardiola admitting this week that his sextuple winners are struggling to find top gear at the minute, Madrid will be keen to turn the heat up on their arch-rivals.

Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra does not necessarily believe Barca are as vulnerable as some are suggesting, but he acknowledges his side need to make the most of any blips the Catalan giants might make.

"I`ve seen Barcelona's last few matches and I don`t think they have a problem. If you asked me if they are weaker than last season, maybe yes, maybe no. A team cannot be at 100% all the time. But we have to take advantage of the small slips they might have," he said.

Manuel Pellegrini`s side make the trip to the Canary Islands having thrashed Villarreal 6-2 last weekend, and they will be confident of picking up another three-point haul against second-bottom Tenerife, who have struggled on their return to the top flight.

However, Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is not about to underestimate Jose Luis Oltra`s men, who have won 18 of their 20 points this season at home.

"They`ve earned their place in La Liga. They have two good goalscorers in Nino and (Alejandro) Alfaro and we will have to be careful against them," said the Spain international.

Barca`s last three matches have seen them lose 2-1 at Atletico Madrid - their first league defeat of the season - then beat Racing Santander 4-0 last weekend before drawing 1-1 at Stuttgart in the Champions League in midweek.

The results may not be bad for Barca, but the team feel their performances have not been up to scratch, with Lionel Messi saying after the draw in Stuttgart: "It's true that recently we've not been playing the same football we are used to, but now is the key moment and we have to get back to that level."

Centre-back Gerard Pique believes his side`s indifferent form is nothing to be worried about, though, saying: "Playing at such a high level for a whole year is impossible - the same thing happened to us last year . There's always going to be a dip at some point, but the team will get their confidence and bounce back."

Aside from the top two, there is one other game in La Liga on Saturday night when Getafe host 17th-placed Real Zaragoza.

Zaragoza are one of four teams who are starting to slip away at the foot of the table, with a four-point gap having opened up to 16th-placed Racing Santander.

The other sides battling to avoid the drop are rock-bottom Xerez, who are 10 points adrift of safety as they prepare to host Espanyol, Tenerife, and third-bottom Real Valladolid, who take on stuttering Real Mallorca.

Two of Sunday`s other games involve four teams who will have been in European action this week.

Fourth-placed Sevilla, fresh from their encouraging 1-1 Champions League draw away to CSKA Moscow, are at home to Europe League contenders Athletic Bilbao, while third-placed Valencia go to Atletico Madrid, with both teams also in Europa League action this evening.

Also on Sunday, Villarreal, Spain`s other Europa League representative, take on Deportivo La Coruna, Osasuna travel to Sporting Gijon and Racing host Almeria.

Spanish La Liga Weekend Review

Real Madrid kept pace with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table with a win over Villarreal while Atletico were beaten by Almeria.

A Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real side answered their critics following the midweek Champions League defeat at Lyon and eased some of the pressure on coach Manuel Pellegrini with a thumping 6-2 victory over Villarreal.

Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka both netted braces but it was Ronaldo who caused all the damage with arguably his best display of the season to help Madrid bounce back from their poor showing in France and trim the gap to Primera Division leaders Barcelona back to two points.

The former Manchester United star netted a trademark free-kick with a Xabi Alonso penalty completing the rout.

Atletico Madrid were brought back down to earth as they were beaten 1-0 at struggling Almeria.

A week after outclassing Barcelona to inflict a first defeat of the season on the champions, Atletico could not find a way past Almeria keeper Diego Alves, who, along with opposite number Sergio Asenjo, kept the game scoreless in the first half.

Both sides hit the woodwork in the second period but the deadlock was finally broken three minutes from time by the industrious Pablo Piatti.

Malaga boosted their hopes of survival thanks to a narrow 2-1 win over Espanyol as the Catalans' miserable away form continued at La Rosaleda.

Fernando Fernandez gave the Andalusians the lead after 13 minutes, and although Victor Ruiz equalised shortly before half-time, the home side sealed a second consecutive victory thanks to Victor Obinna's winner a quarter of an hour from time.

Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz's side were reduced to 10 men late on, when Jesus Gamez was sent off for a nasty tackle on Raul Baena.

Real Zaragoza's recent revival came to an abrupt halt as Sporting Gijon recorded a first league win in six games with a 3-1 victory.

Goals either side of half-time from Mate Bilic and Luis Moran had the visitors cruising and, even though Javier Arizmendi halved the deficit in stoppage time, David Barral immediately snuffed out any thoughts of a comeback by netting a third.

Athletic Bilbao kept themselves in the mix for European qualification with a comfortable 4-1 win over 10-man Tenerife.

The visitors, who are currently languishing in the relegation zone, failed to recover after being reduced to 10 men in just the 17th minute as Jose Antonio Culebras was given his marching orders for an ugly challenge on Gaizka Toquero in the penalty area.

Fernando Llorente dispatched the resulting spot-kick and Toquero doubled the lead a few minutes later.

Andoni Iraola got the third after the break and, after Alejandro Alfaro had pulled a goal back for Jose Luis Oltra's side, Igor Gabilondo rounded off the scoring.

Osasuna denied Primera Division strugglers Real Valladolid a rare victory with an equaliser four minutes from time in Pamplona.

After the hosts had been denied by the woodwork three times, Valladolid took the lead through a screamer from Medunjanin Haris with only 10 minutes to go.

But Jose Antonio Camacho's side salvaged a point with an 86th-minute equaliser from Javier Camunas.

On Saturday, Barcelona strolled to an easy 4-0 victory over Racing Santander, Real Mallorca's perfect home record was brought to an end as Sevilla beat them 3-1 while Deportivo La Coruna beat Xerez 2-1.

Match Reports

Sunday

Real Madrid 6-2 Villarreal

Almeria 1-0 Atletico Madrid

Real Zaragoza 1-3 Sporting Gijon

Malaga 2-1 Espanyol

Athletic Bilbao 4-1 Tenerife

Osasuna 1-1 Real Valladolid

Saturday

Barcelona 4-0 Racing Santander

Deportivo La Coruna 2-1 Xerez

Real Mallorca 1-3 Sevilla

Real Mallorca 1-3 Sevilla

Sevilla ended Real Mallorca's perfect home record with a 3-1 away on Saturday night.

Mallorca had won all of their previous 10 league matches at their Ono Estadi and they could hardly have had a better start with Mario Suarez putting them ahead in just the fifth minute.

However, that advantage was shortlived as Sevilla deservedly drew level in the 23rd minute when Jesus Navas capitalised on a misjudgement from Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate to score.

A topsy-turvy game then looked to be favouring Mallorca again when, two minutes after Navas' goal, visiting striker Alvaro Negredo was shown a straight red card for a challenge on former Sevilla midfielder Jose Luis Marti - the Spain forward's second dismissal in three games.

That was evened up before half-time though as Mallorca defender Ivan Ramis was also handed his marching orders following a crunching foul on Didier Zokora, leaving both teams with 10 players heading into the second half.

There was little to separate the teams before the break but it was Sevilla who took control in the second half, aided by another error by Aouate.

The Israel international advanced too far from his line as Ivica Dragutinovic's free-kick from near the right touchline curled in towards the net, and he found himself stranded as the ball cleared him and found the top corner.

That was in the 56th minute and five minutes later Sevilla made it 3-1 through substitute Diego Perotti, sealing a win that leaves the Andalusian side five points clear of sixth-placed Mallorca in the race for the Champions League spots.

Sevilla also had Zokora dismissed late on for a second yellow card for comments he made to the linesman, but it was too little too late to help Mallorca save their proud home record.

Gregorio Manzano's side came into the match looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at second-bottom Tenerife on Monday night and they were handed a flying start by Suarez, who slotted home Borja Valero's low cross.

Sevilla must have feared the worst at that point, especially as Mallorca had only conceded three goals at home this season previously, but Manolo Jimenez's men hit back well.

Negredo tested Aouate with a free-kick before the former Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper produced a remarkable save to claw the ball off Dirnei Renato's head when the Brazilian looked certain to nod into an empty net.

Aouate went from hero to villain soon after though as Sevilla equalised.

Mallorca almost scored themselves at one end, Palop saving Aritz Aduriz's deflected header, but from the loose ball Negredo played a long pass forward that Aouate raced 30 yards out of his goal to try to clear.

He was beaten to the ball by the quicksilver Navas though, and the Spain winger rolled his shot into an empty net.

Both sides were then reduced to 10 men, with Negredo and Ramis receiving their marching orders, before Sevilla took control after half-time with those goals from Dragutinovic and Perotti.

Mallorca tried their best to get back into the match with substitute Pierre Webo featuring heavily late on, but the Balearic Island outfit could find no way back, even with the added help of Sevilla being reduced to nine men when Zokora was sent off.

Barcelona 4-0 Racing Santander

Barcelona strolled to an easy victory over Racing Santander on a night of firsts at the Nou Camp on Saturday.

Despite missing several key players through injury and losing Zlatan Ibrahimovic just before the match, Pep Guardiola's side brushed aside a disappointing Racing outfit with ease, on the back of a fine first-half performance.

Andres Iniesta gave the Catalans the lead with his first goal of the season following poor defending by Racing after just seven minutes.

Thierry Henry, handed a rare start by Guardiola after being frozen out in recent weeks, scored the second goal from a free-kick with his first of 2010, and Rafael Marquez added a brilliant third with his first of the campaign from another set-piece 11 minutes before half-time.

Youngster Thiago Alcantara then added a fourth with his first career goal in the closing stages.

With Dani Alves and Eric Abidal missing through injury, captain Carles Puyol was switched to the right-back position.

That move allowed Marquez and Gerard Pique, both available again after suspension, to start in central defence, while fit-again Yaya Toure was restored in the holding midfield role.

Xavi and Seydou Keita were both out with injury, but it was a strong Barcelona midfield, with Toure lining up alongside Sergio Busquets and Iniesta.

And Spain midfielder Iniesta got the home side off to an ideal start as he slotted home the opener.

The move began from a long Marquez pass, which Racing full-back Jose Angel Crespo failed to clear under pressure from Henry.

The loose ball fell to Iniesta, who gave Fabio Coltorti no chance with a slick finish.

It was his first goal since the dramatic late leveller at Stamford Bridge which saw Barcelona advance in incredible circumstances to the final of the Champions League.

Without that goal, Barcelona would have been left without three of their six trophies in 2009.

And Guardiola would not tonight have been coaching the club in his 100th competitive match, either.

Henry is another who has been short of goals recently.

The former Arsenal man scored 19 and 26 goals in his first two seasons as a Barca player, respectively, but had just two for this campaign to his name prior to tonight.

Struggling for form, the France striker has barely featured in recent weeks, but marked his return to the side with a welcome strike.

It was rather lucky as the Frenchman's free-kick found its way through a suspect defensive wall and into the back of the net.

Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkic, starting up front alongside Henry, had missed decent chances before that, and Barcelona were good for their lead.

Ibrahimovic, left out due to an ankle problem, probably with Tuesday night's Champions League tie against Stuttgart in mind, was hardly missed.

The goals were coming from elsewhere and Marquez, who had wanted the previous free-kick, got his chance to impress six minutes later.

And how he delivered; the Mexico defender curled a sublime effort over the wall and in off the post to put Barca three up at the break.

Messi and Bojan missed further opportunities before the interval as Barca continued to dominate.

The best Racing chance ironically fell to Henrique, on loan from the Catalans, but the Brazilian defender was off target with his header.

After the break, Barca took their feet off the pedal and Guardiola took advantage to send on several young players for some valuable game time.

Pedro, Jeffren Suarez and Thiago all came on late in the game, and the latter marked the occasion with his first goal for the club.

Thiago, son of former Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, gave the ball to Messi, who returned it with interest for the youngster to beat Coltorti with a deflected effort which rounded off a great night for Barcelona.

And it was a night of firsts in Guardiola's 100th match in charge.

Henry bagged his first goal in 2010, Thiago his first for the club, Iniesta and Marquez their first of the season. It was also Iniesta's 300th appearance.

All of that leaves Barca very much in first as well, with the onus on Real Madrid to close the gap back to two points tomorrow, when they host Villarreal.

Racing, who were never really in the game and sorely missed suspended trio Pedro Munitis, Gonzalo Colsa and Mohamed Tchite, stay five points clear of the drop zone for now, but could find themselves closer to the bottom three tomorrow.

Deportivo 2-1 Xerez

Two goals in the first seven minutes were enough to give Deportivo La Coruna a first win in four matches.

However, the Galicians endured some nervy moments as bottom side Xerez threw men forward in search of a late equaliser.

Andres Guardado gave Deportivo the lead from the penalty spot with just three minutes gone after Vicente Moreno had held back Diego Colotto.

And the locals looked to be well on their way to an easy victory when Riki added a second four minutes later.

But Xerez pulled a goal back seven minutes before the break through Mario Bermejo and Deportivo were forced to hold on in the end as the Andalusians gave everything in an attempt to secure a vital point which never materialised.

That has been an all too familiar story for Xerez, in what is their first ever season in Spain's top flight.

Recently-appointed coach Nestor Gorosito caused eyebrows to be raised earlier in the week when he claimed that Xerez have a side capable of finishing in the top eight.

The club's points tally tells another story altogether.

Prior to this match, they had picked up just 11 from 22 games.

And few expected that to change in this match, despite Deportivo's recent blip in form.

The Galicians had failed to win any of their last three games, picking up just one point from those matches.

Nevertheless, Miguel Angel Lotina's side began the day in sixth place and they needed a win to reignite hopes of a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2005.

And things began well for Depor as they won a penalty after just two minutes, when Moreno clearly held back Colotto in the area.

Guardado, recently returned from a long spell on the sidelines through injury, swept the ball home with aplomb to give the Galicians the lead.

And one quickly became two as Riki got away down the wing, advanced into the area and blasted an unstoppable drive past Xerez keeper Renan Brito.

There looked to be no way back for the visitors now, but Deportivo were happy to sit back on their advantage and Xerez tightened up as well, restricting the locals to long-range efforts.

The Andalusians were creating little in the way of opportunities themselves, but scored from their very first chance of the match, when Bermejo headed past Daniel Aranzubia seven minutes before half-time.

That gave the visitors a ray of hope, but it also served to wake up Depor.

Riki blasted over the bar two minutes later, before Pablo Alvarez was denied by Renan early in the second period.

And the Galicians came desperately close to a third after 65 minutes, when Juan Rodriguez beat Renan with a ferocious drive from the edge of the box, but saw his effort rebound off the crossbar.

Xerez enjoyed the best of the closing stages, however, and Bermejo threatened to level with 13 minutes left, when his venomous effort sailed just over the crossbar.

The visitors threw men forward late on, but Deportivo held on - albeit nervously - to move provisionally into fifth place.

Xerez, meanwhile, remain rock bottom and will have to start winning points very soon to boost their fading hopes of survival.

Spanish La Liga Weekend Review

Barcelona failed to regain their five-point lead at the top of the La Liga after a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Pep Guardiola's men were second best for long periods against an Atletico side who established a 2-0 lead inside 23 minutes thanks to a clinical Diego Forlan strike and a wonderful free-kick from Simao Sabrosa.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic halved the deficit within four minutes but Atletico deservedly held on to secure an impressive win and do city rivals Real Madrid a huge favour in the title race.

Real, who beat Xerez 3-0 last night, are now just two points behind their Catalan rivals, for whom it was a first league defeat of the season, after 22 rounds.

Sevilla capped a productive week with a 1-0 win against Osasuna which moved them back into the Champions League qualifying spots.

But while it may have been a three-point haul for the Andalusians, it was another wholly unconvincing performance.

Completely outplayed by Getafe in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg in midweek - Sevilla still progressed despite a 1-0 defeat - Manolo Jimenez's men were again lacking fluency.

But they grabbed the only goal came after 35 minutes courtesy of the prolific Luis Fabiano.

Fernando Soriano struck an injury-time equaliser to salvage a point for Almeria and heap more frustration on Getafe.

It looked like Getafe were going to bounce back from their Copa disappointment with a three-point haul as goals from Javi Casquero and Roberto Soldado saw them leading 2-1 heading into the final minutes.

However, it was not to be as Soriano's 92nd-minute equaliser saved lowly Almeria and continued their decent run under new coach Juan Manuel Lillo, who has now lost just one game in seven since replacing Hugo Sanchez during the winter break.

Espanyol secured a vital 2-0 win at home to high-flying Deportivo La Coruna to move back up to the respectability of mid-table.

Former Deportivo midfielder Joan Verdu set Mauricio Pochettino's men on their way with the all-important opener six minutes before half-time.

And Jose Callejon sealed a precious win for the Barcelona-based side with the second just short of the hour mark.

By then, the Catalans' task had been made all the more easier by the sending-off of Deportivo midfielder Antonio Tomas for an elbow on Javi Chica.

Malaga cruised to a 3-0 win at Racing Santander thanks to goals from Weligton, Felipe Caicedo and Victor Obinna.

Racing's misery was compounded by the late dismissal of striker Mohamed Tchite, who was shown a straight red for gesturing to the referee he needed glasses.

Real Zaragoza produced a battling performance to claim a valuable point against relegation rivals Real Valladolid.

Jose Aurelio Gay's side had won their previous two matches to climb out of the bottom three at Valladolid's expense, but they would have been content with just a point today after they were forced to fight back from a goal down and having been reduced to 10 men following Andre Herrera's 65th-minute dismissal.

Diego Costa had fired Valladolid ahead after 23 minutes before Humberto Suazo got the visitors on level terms six minutes before the break.

On Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice on his return from suspension as Real Madrid flourished late in the game to thrash Xerez 3-0.

Real dominated virtually throughout on a stodgy pitch, but had to be patient as Xerez held out for more than an hour.

Alvaro Arbeloa finally put Madrid in front after 64 minutes, before Ronaldo's quick brace finished off the spirited Andalusians.

They will now hope their city rivals Atletico can do them a favour tomorrow night against a Barca side missing a host of defenders through injury and suspension.

Valencia came from behind to secure a point at Sporting Gijon in a 1-1 draw, but were left frustrated by the plucky Asturians.

Sporting put their recent woes behind them as they took a fifth-minute lead through Diego Castro.

And Valencia, despite incessant pressure which saw them twice rattle the woodwork, were unable to find a way through until Juan Mata's leveller 14 minutes from time.

Juan Carlos Garrido celebrated a 2-1 victory in his first home match in charge of Villarreal amid late drama at El Madrigal.

Garrido oversaw a 1-0 defeat at Real Mallorca last week but it was a different story against Athletic Bilbao tonight thanks to first-half goals from Joan Capdevila and Nilmar.

Igor Gabilondo had drawn Athletic level but the goals were only half the story as Andoni Iraola missed a late penalty for the visitors before three players and one coach saw red.

Javi Martinez and Diego Godin both went after a clash and, in the ensuing chaos, both benches got involved and Athletic coach Joaquin Caparros was also sent to the stands.

Frustration then got the better of Pablo Orbaiz, who was dismissed after reacting with fury to what he perceived was an over-reaction to his challenge by Ariel Ibagaza.

Match Reports

Xerez 0-3 Real Madrid

Sporting Gijon 1-1 Valencia

Villarreal 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

Racing-Santander 0-3 Malaga

Espanyol 2-0 Deportivo La Coruna

Getafe 2-2 Almeria

Valladolid 1-1 Zaragoza

Atletico Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Spanish La Liga Saturday Review

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice on his return from suspension as Real Madrid flourished late in the game to thrash Xerez 3-0.

Real dominated virtually throughout on a stodgy pitch, but had to be patient as Xerez held out for more than an hour.

Alvaro Arbeloa finally put Madrid in front after 64 minutes, before Ronaldo's quick brace finished off the spirited Andalusians.

They will now hope their city rivals Atletico can do them a favour tomorrow night against a Barca side missing a host of defenders through injury and suspension.

Valencia came from behind to secure a point at Sporting Gijon in a 1-1 draw, but were left frustrated by the plucky Asturians.

Sporting put their recent woes behind them as they took a fifth-minute lead through Diego Castro.

And Valencia, despite incessant pressure which saw them twice rattle the woodwork, were unable to find a way through until Juan Mata's leveller 14 minutes from time.

Juan Carlos Garrido celebrated a 2-1 victory in his first home match in charge of Villarreal amid late drama at El Madrigal.

Garrido oversaw a 1-0 defeat at Real Mallorca last week but it was a different story against Athletic Bilbao tonight thanks to first-half goals from Joan Capdevila and Nilmar.

Igor Gabilondo had drawn Athletic level but the goals were only half the story as Andoni Iraola missed a late penalty for the visitors before three players and one coach saw red.

Javi Martinez and Diego Godin both went after a clash and, in the ensuing chaos, both benches got involved and Athletic coach Joaquin Caparros was also sent to the stands.

Frustration then got the better of Pablo Orbaiz, who was dismissed after reacting with fury to what he perceived was an over-reaction to his challenge by Ariel Ibagaza.

Match Reports

Xerez 0-3 Real Madrid

Sporting Gijon 1-1 Valencia

Villarreal 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

La Liga Team of the Week 13

Kelvin Leong salutes Lionel Messi who destroyed Getafe to make it into our La Liga Team of the Week.

Jordi Codina - Getafe

He conceded two goals but no goalkeeper in the world could have stopped Lionel Messi's peach of a goal. Made some superb saves to give his side a fighting chance against Pep Guardiola's team.

Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid

Ramos can play anywhere along the back-four because of his versatility. He looked disinterested in the first half of the season but seems to have upped his game in the last two months. What Ramos brings to an already impressive Madrid lineup is his aerial ability both in defence and attack.

Alvaro Dominguez - Atletico Madrid

Dominguez's inclusion gave Atletico a more stable and solid look at the back as they ploughed through the night trying to keep a buzzing Pedro Munitis quiet. If only Atletico had ten more Dominguez, they would probably be higher up the table than their current position.

Gabriel Milito - Barcelona

Having been out with a long-term injury, Milito has eased back into action without looking out of place. Calm and assuring presence at the back against Getafe despite all the niggling petty fouls going around throughout the match. A World Cup spot with Argentine awaits.

Matteo Contini - Real Zaragoza

He opened the scoring for the home team but it was his never-say-die attitude for the entire match which was outstanding. Never gave the Sevilla players any time on the ball as he covered every blade of grass harassing the opposition into committing school-boy errors.

Albert Crusat - Almeria

Almeria had to play most part of the match against Sporting Gijon with ten men and went behind after the visitors took an early lead. What happened after that was a show of strength and courage as Crusat refused to give up as he forced the issue with an equaliser to give Almeria the perfect platform to mount a comeback which eventually came through with a 3-1 victory for the home side.

Guti - Real Madrid

There were calls for him to be included in our Team of the Week last time out after his insane back-heel but one outstanding performance was not enough for someone so talented yet inconsistent. Credit where its due, Guti came out for a second week in a row to deliver another one of his brilliant playmaking performances. Caught the eye with his fancy flicks and great instinct of where his team-mates were.

Ever Banega - Valencia

After spending last season sitting on the fence with a career seemingly destined to be capped as a failure in the La Liga, the Argentine midfielder has come out of nowhere to become one of Valencia's leading lights of the season. He dictated play from the middle of the park and even found enough gas in his tank to score Valencia's first goal.

Kaka - Real Madrid

His arrival at Madrid has been overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo but you cannot doubt the Brazilian playmaker's ability to make things happen as he showed against Espanyol. Scored the second goal and played like a true-blue No.10

Fernando Llorente - Athletic Bilbao

The giant Spaniard is hitting form at the right time with the 2010 World Cup fast approaching. His second-half brace helped Bilbao pull off an amazing comeback having gone behind to a Bermejo goal just before the half-time whistle.

Lionel Messi - Barcelona

Messi was never destined to be ordinary. His goal was absolutely perfect. Just the kind of goal we have come to expect off the diminutive striker's small boots. Best striker in world football at the moment? You bet!

Spanish La Liga Saturday Review

Barcelona remained five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at La Liga's summit after both triumphed.

Barca maintained their impressive home record in La Liga with a 2-1 victory over Getafe - despite finishing the game with nine men following the dismissals of Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez.

Pique was sent off for a cynical lunge on Rafa Lopez after 24 minutes, although Barca were already a goal to the good by then thanks to Lionel Messi's brilliant early strike.

Pep Guardiola's side never really looked in danger, despite Pique's departure, and their dominance finally paid off as Xavi all but sealed a 17th league win of the season in the 67th minute.

Roberto Soldado's stoppage-time penalty pulled a goal back for the visitors after Marquez was sent off for the foul on Kepa Blanco which led to the spot-kick.

That result temporarily took Barca eight points clear, but Madrid immediately reduced the deficit back to five points by beating Espanyol 3-0.

First-half goals from Sergio Ramos and Kaka put Madrid in control, and substitute Gonzalo Higuain added a brilliant third late on as Manuel Pellegrini's men made it 11 out of 11 at the Bernabeu.

In Saturday's early game in Spain, first-half goals from Ever Banega and David Villa saw Valencia cruise to a 2-0 home win over struggling Real Valladolid to boost their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

Banega struck after eight minutes and Villa added the second just before the half-hour mark to secure the three points for Unai Emery's side and consolidate third place in La Liga after 21 rounds of matches.

Match Reports

Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol

Valencia 2-0 Real Valladolid

Real Madrid vs Espanyol Preview

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play against Espanyol after the CEDD postponed their decision on Real Madrid's appeal.

The Portugal star, who celebrated his 25th birthday today, was hoping the CEDD would halve his two-match suspension after he was sent off for elbowing Denmark international Patrick Mtiliga in the face.

But today's announcement means Ronaldo will miss the clash against the Catalan side at the Bernabeu - he also sat out Madrid's 3-1 win at Deportivo La Coruna last weekend - as Madrid look to maintain their Primera Division title challenge.

Los Merengues are currently five points adrift of leaders and arch rivals Barcelona and coach Manuel Pellegrini knows there is no margin for error at this stage of the season.

He said: "It is very important to claim points because every point that is lost makes achieving our aims more difficult.

"The goal is to take the three points at home and then go to Xerez."

By the time Madrid kick-off they could be a further three points adrift of Barca, who host Getafe earlier in the evening, but Pellegrini denied that added more pressure.

"We are obligated to win our matches and we must not focus on what Barcelona do," he added.

"We have to win points and then we will see what happens in the future."

Pellegrini, who has delayed the naming of his squad until the day of the game, also shrugged off the absence of Ronaldo.

He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is a key player but without him we have topped the table and won big games.

"This is a good squad with great players and I am pleased with how we are doing."

Espanyol arrive at the Bernabeu on the back of a much-needed 1-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao.

The victory enabled Mauricio Pochettino's side to move six points clear of the relegation zone and he will send his side out with instructions to attack.

He told Radio Marca: "The team will set foot on the Bernabeu turf to play football and to take the game to Real Madrid.

"It will be a very difficult game because we know the quality of the opponent but the idea is to stick to our style of play and implement it the best way possible."

The visitors will be without captain Ivan De la Pena, who will go under the knife next week and could be sidelined for another three months.

The 33-year-old former Spain playmaker is to have an operation on a lower leg injury and, according to Espanyol, he might miss the next 12 weeks.

"The loss of De la Pena hurts us," admitted Pochettino. "But he has taken the decision that an operation is the best way to stop the problems.

"What we hope is that he will return to his best when he does come back."

Spanish La Liga Weekend Review

Sevilla jumped to fourth place in La Liga with a 2-1 home victory over Valencia.

Alvaro Negredo put Sevilla 2-0 in front by scoring after 21 and 69 minutes, with his second goal an exquisite 20-yard chip over Cesar Sanchez.

David Navarro headed a 90th-minute consolation for Valencia but they were unable to seriously threaten again as their third-place standing in the table was weakened, with Sevilla now just three points behind them.

Earlier on, Getafe missed a great chance to improve their prospects of European football next season as they were frustrated and held 0-0 by a Racing Santander outfit who played almost the entire second half with 10 men.

Racing's Jose Moraton was dismissed for a second bookable offence five minutes into the second half.

Atletico Madrid were jeered off by their fans after slumping 2-0 to Malaga, a ninth defeat of what has been a hugely disappointing league campaign to date.

Atletico reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals in midweek but were brought crashing down to earth by a Malaga side that started the day in the bottom four.

Sergio Duda put the Andalusians ahead after just two minutes and Javi Lopez sealed the win with a second 20 minutes from time as Malaga moved three points clear of the relegation zone.

Jose Aurelio Gay picked up his first win as boss of Real Zaragoza as the visitors saw off fellow strugglers Tenerife 3-1 thanks to a stunning late turnaround.

The islanders looked to be heading for a valuable win thanks to Juanlu's goal just after half-time but a triple substitution from Gay proved the turning point.

Humberto Suazo equalised from the spot in the 77th minute and the following six minutes brought two more goals from Adrian Colunga and Angel Lafita.

A late equaliser from Cesar Arzo saw 10-man Real Valladolid secure a 1-1 draw against Almeria to go a point clear of the relegation zone.

Visitors Almeria had taken an early lead through Albert Crusat before the hosts had striker Manucho dismissed after he hit out at Jose Chico in the 38th minute.

But Arzo's well-directed header saw Jose Luis Mendilibar's side earn an unlikely draw.

Two goals from Juanfran gave Osasuna a comfortable 2-0 victory at Villarreal, allowing the visitors to leapfrog their opponents and move to ninth place.

The winger fired his side into the lead in the 15th minute and made sure of the points five minutes from time, as Osasuna posted a third league victory in a row.

On Saturday, Barcelona preserved their five-point lead at the top with a 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon, while second-placed Real Madrid won 3-1 at Deportivo La Coruna and Espanyol defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0.

Match Reports

Sunday

Sevilla 2-1 Valencia

Atletico Madrid 0-2 Malaga

Real Valladolid 1-1 Almeria

Getafe 0-0 Racing Santander

Villarreal 0-2 Osasuna

Xerez 2-1 Mallorca

Tenerife 1-3 Real Zaragoza

Saturday

Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona

Deportivo 1-3 Real Madrid

Espanyol 1-0 Athletic Bilbao

Espanyol 1-0 Athletic Bilbao

Luis Garcia's second-half strike gave Espanyol a much-needed victory at home to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

The Barcelona-based side came up against an inspired Gorka Iraizoz in the first half, with the Athletic keeper denying his former club with several fine saves.

But the Catalans' constant pressure finally paid off 13 minutes into the second half, when Luis Garcia struck the winner to give Mauricio Pochettino's side a welcome boost following their recent dismal run.

Espanyol had lost six of their last nine La Liga matches and came into this contest just three points above the relegation zone.

They had been frustrated last weekend against Real Mallorca, when they were denied a vital win by a contentious penalty decision 10 minutes from time.

Goals have been hard to come by for the Catalans this season, and they struggled again in that respect today despite their early dominance.

Their first real chance came after 18 minutes, when Jose Callejon volleyed wildly off target from the edge of the area.

Iraizoz then produced a fine save to keep out Javi Marquez's venomous deflected shot 10 minutes later as Espanyol continued to threaten.

The Athletic keeper produced an even better stop on the verge of half-time, with an improvised save to repel Nico Pareja's deflected free-kick.

Pareja was back in the side following a one-match suspension and Espanyol looked much more assured at the back, but they were again struggling to find a way through up front.

Joan Verdu came close five minutes after half-time, but Andoni Iraola made a vital block to deflect the ball out for a corner.

Iraizoz then denied Espanyol once again eight minutes later when he saved from Marquez, but the ball fell straight to Luis Garcia, who stroked home from close range to give the Catalans the lead just short of the hour.

Iraizoz kept his side from going further behind 10 minutes later when he parried a Ferran Corominas' header.

Following last weekend's late disappointment and a string of poor results this season, the home fans were nervous in the closing stages.

Athletic looked unlikely to get back in it, but Espanyol had failed to make the game safe and they seemed unsure as to the best tactic late on.

They had lost their earlier attacking verve, but were wary of sitting back and defending their slender advantage.

That was what inevitably happened, though, and Pochettino introduced centre-back Roncaglia for midfielder Verdu in the closing stages.

The Catalans held on with relative comfort in the end to move provisionally six points clear of the relegation zone after 20 rounds of the championship.

Athletic, meanwhile, stay in eighth place after missing a fantastic opportunity to close in on the European places.

Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona

Pedro's goal was enough to give Barcelona their 16th league win this season with a slim 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon.

The Tenerife-born winger struck after half an hour to give Barca the lead.

Both sides had missed decent opportunities before that, but Guardiola's side were superior virtually throughout.

And the Catalans should have built on their lead as they created a host of chances in the second half.

But Sporting made it difficult and stayed in it right until the end.

Barcelona finished the first half of the league campaign unbeaten, having won 15 and drawn four of their first 19 matches.

The Catalans came into this match five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, but Guardiola had warned in the build-up that this match would be difficult.

Many sides have come away from El Molinon empty-handed and Madrid failed to win there earlier on in the campaign.

Barca, and Guardiola in particular, had good memories of this fixture, though.

Having lost his first match in charge at Numancia last season, Guardiola's Barca could then only draw at home to Racing Santander.

But what was to come was spectacular.

Guardiola's side ended up winning all three trophies that season, before later adding three more in 2009.

And their good form began in Gijon, when everything came together in a hugely impressive 6-1 victory.

It looked as if they might run riot again in this match as Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi missed great chances early on.

Sporting had their moments as well and Mate Bilic came close after 20 minutes, but the Croatian's finish was weak and wide of the target when he really should have done better.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic then blasted over for Barca as the visitors continued to look dangerous.

But Bilic threatened once more and the striker's header was well saved by Victor Valdes after 28 minutes.

Two minutes later, Barca took the lead.

Pedro, in the side ahead of Thierry Henry, latched onto Iniesta's pass and kept his cool to fire past Sporting keeper Juan Pablo Colinas at the near post.

Ibrahimovic then almost got on the end of Messi's cross shortly afterwards as Barca sought to double their advantage.

Xavi and Iniesta missed great opportunities to extend the Catalans' lead shortly into the second period, while Juan Pablo produced a fine save to deny Ibrahimovic after that.

It was virtually all Barca now and Messi shot wide while Pedro blasted over as the Catalans piled forward, but the second goal remained elusive.

They should have wrapped it up late on, but Ibrahimovic saw his effort deflected over the bar and Pedro's shot was well saved by Juan Pablo in the last minute.

Valdes had to be alert to punch away a cross deep into injury time, but Barca deserved the win.