Matchday 21 - Round-up

Real Madrid’s title hopes were dealt a massive blow at the Reyno de Navarra on Sunday, where Jose Mourinho’s megastars were beaten 1-0 by Osasuna. Jose Antonio Camacho has a history of beating Mourinho and Pamplona has often been a difficult place for the Madrilenos to visit and it proved so again as Javier Camunas scored the only goal in favour of the impressive hosts. Real are now seven points behind Barcelona, who have only dropped five with over half the season already played.

Barcelona exacted revenge on Hercules at the Jose Rico Perez on Saturday night, where they beat their only league vanquishers in the first half of the season 0-3 in convincing style. Pedro scored for the sixth consecutive jornada to open the scoring and Lionel Messi struck twice late in the second half to overtake Samuel Eto’o on Barca’s all-time top scorer list. Hercules midfielder Francisco Javier Farinos was dismissed in his first game of the season after a serious injury lay-off.

Deportivo la Coruna and Sevilla played out a topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at the Riazor on Saturday, which ended in controversy and dispute. Lassad gave Depor a two-goal lead with strikes towards the beginning of both halves and Andres Palop was sent off before the hour mark to make it look straightforward for the hosts. However, Alvaro Negredo led the Sevilla comeback, scoring twice either side of a Julien Escude goal and it looked like the Andalusians would sneak it until Laure’s disputed late equaliser.

Raul Tamudo returned to Real Sociedad’s starting eleven in the absence of Joseba Llorente and the former Espanyol captain was the hero at Anoeta where he scored the goal which condemned Almeria to a 2-0 defeat. Ion Ansotegui gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half time from what appeared to be an offside position but Tamudo made sure the victory did not rely solely on that arbitrational error with a second ten minutes from time.

Money can’t buy you love and it can’t buy results as financially stricken Real Zaragoza proved to Malaga on Saturday with a 1-2 win at the Rosaleda. Manuel Pellegrini admitted after the game that he is worried about Los Boquerones’ predicament as they dropped to the bottom of the table. Duda initially gave Malaga the lead in the first half but Javier Aguirre’s team hit back just before the break through Nicolas Bertolo and former Liverpool striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle scored the winner five minutes before the end.

Real Mallorca conceded as many goals in one home game as they had in the whole of the first half of the season at the Iberostar Estadi on Saturday as they were spanked 0-4 by Sporting de Gijon. Manuel Preciado’s side were far more organized and achieved their most impressive result of the season thanks to Diego Castro, and own-goal from Kevin, Andre Castro and Nacho Novo.

Levante demonstrated that they are not dead and buried yet with a 2-0 win over Getafe at the Ciutat de Valencia on matchday twenty-one. Valdo and the impressive Felipe Caicedo both scored within ten minutes of the second half restart to quash Getafe’s hopes of breaking their duck in 2011; the Madrilenos have lost four and drawn one of their first five games of the calendar year and their hope of a return to the European table next season is quickly disintegrating.

Atletico Madrid’s miserable month continues as they were beaten 0-2 at home by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday afternoon. Luis Perea was sent off for the rojiblancos in the first half and, at the beginning of the second, Gaizka Toquero scored both Athletic goals to widen the gap between 6th and 7th place to five points.

A wonderful strike from Giuseppe Rossi was all that separated Espanyol and Villarreal at the Cornella El Prat on Sunday night, where Juan Carlos Garrido’s men ran out 0-1 winners. It was an exciting, end to end game but it did not end happily for the home side, who were beaten at home for just the second time this season thanks to Rossi’s goal.

Valencia’s five match winning streak came to an end at the Sardinero on Monday night where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Racing Santander. Racing, whose new owner Ali Syed was watching on from the palco, took the lead through Ariel Nalhuelpan but Tino Costa spoiled the party late on. Tino’s namesake Ricardo was one of three players sent off in the second half; his team mate David Navarro – who wasn’t even on the pitch – and Racing’s Algerian midfielder Mehdi Lacen were the other two who saw red.

Matchday 20 - Round-up

Karim Benzema answered his critics by scoring the winning goal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night to prevent Real Madrid from suffering another slip-up against Real Mallorca. Michael Laudrup’s team were well organized, bold in attack and generally impressive, but the Madrilenos were in no mood to drop more points and their patience and superior quality paid off when Benzema struck in the second half to secure a 1-0 win. It was a narrow but well-deserved win for Jose Mourinho’s men but it does not completely detract from the concurrent problems at the club, such as the lack of striking depth, the uncertainty surrounding Mourinho’s future and perceived factions within the club’s hierarchy.

Barcelona didn’t let their let their minor midweek cup blip affect their league form on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s men made light work of beating Racing Santander 3-0 at the Camp Nou, repeating the same result they achieved at the Sardinero on the opening day of the season. Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta scored the goals and, even though Racing created their share of chances, a three goal margin was a fair reflection of proceedings.

A goal from Aritz Aduriz in the last minute of regulation time produced a 4-3 win for Valencia over an improved Malaga side at Mestalla. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were superior in the first half and twice took the lead through Jose Rondon but first Juanma Mata and then Roberto Soldado cancelled out their lead. Fifteen minutes into the first half Martin Demichelis was sent off and just over fifteen minutes into the second half Helder Rosario followed, so Malaga played the last half an hour with nine men and it proved to much of them. Ever Banega put Unai Emery’s team ahead and, although Julio Baptista scored his first Malaga goal to point the match in the direction of a draw, Aduriz’s last gasp winner eventually settled the result in Valencia’s favour.

Levante fell to their fifth consecutive league defeat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday night as Luis Fabiano ran riot, scoring a hat-trick to lead his team to a 4-1 triumph in front of the home fans. Julien Escude scored the other Sevilla goal and Xisco Munoz grabbed Levante’s solitary mark in response but Luis Garcia Plaza, who was watching on from the stands due to a touchline ban, will be hard pushed to extract any positives from his side’s performance. 

Sporting de Gijon put together back to back victories for the first time this season, complementing last weekend’s triumph over Hercules with a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Molinon on Sunday. After a total non-event of a first half, Sporting settled the tie in the second when David Barral exploited a dreadful defensive error by Atletico to score the only goal of the game. 

Getafe usually pride themselves on their home performances but they were beaten for the fourth consecutive match at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez this weekend by Espanyol. Mauricio Pochettino’s men came from a goal behind to win 1-3 to keep themselves within three points of the top four. It was looking good for Michel’s men at the break with a slim advantage provided by Miku’s first half goal but Luis Garcia, Jose Callejon and Sergio Garcia struck in the second period to disappoint the few home fans who turned out for the game. 

Almeria’s exceptional Copa del Rey form was finally in evidence in La Liga on matchday twenty as they beat Osasuna 3-2 at the Juegos Mediterraneos to drag themselves off the bottom of the table. Carlos Garcia opened the account for the Andalusians and Leandro Ulloa scored twice either side of a Carlos Aranda response for Osasuna. Jose Luis Oltra’s side’s first home league win of the season was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests as the Pamplonan’s second goal, finished by Serbian giant Dejan Lekic, arrived in the very last minute of regulation time. 

Said Boutahar goal-bound free-kick, which beat Daniel Aranzubia to give Real Zaragoza a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Romareda, was a rare highlight in a very dull match between two underperforming clubs. 16th placed Zaragoza are now just two points behind Depor in 13th as the pool of potential relegation candidates continues to grow.

Villarreal had to come from a goal behind to beat Real Sociedad at the weekend. Martin Lasarte’s team’s intention was to defend to the hilt but they snatched an early goal through Mikel Aranburu in the first half which gave them hope of victory. They were not counting on the attacking genius of Giuseppe Rossi, though, and the Americo-Italian popped up with a goal either side of the break to settle the tie 2-1 in Villarreal’s favour. Juan Carlos Garrido’s team remain unbeaten at the Madrigal this season.

Athletic Bilbao were vastly superior to Hercules at San Mames on Monday night, where they ran out 3-0 victors in a strictly one-sided affair. Hercules’ away day blues continue after another dreadful display far from the home comforts of Alicante. Javi Martinez was a powerhouse in central midfield and he put the Basques in front early on before Fernando Llorente and Iker Muniain chipped in with goals in the second half.

Matchday 19 - Round-up

Almeria dealt Real Madrid’s title hopes a massive blow on Sunday night as the bottom of the league side held Jose Mourinho’s megastars to a 1-1 draw at the Juegos Mediterraneos. It could have been worse for Los Merengues as Leandro Ulloa put Almeria ahead on the hour mark. Granero leveled the playing field fifteen minutes later but, however much they pushed, Real could not find a winner. They drop to four points behind league leaders Barcelona. 

Barcelona took full advantage of Real Madrid’s slip up on Sunday evening with a 4-1 stroll at home to Malaga. Andres Iniesta, David Villa (twice) and Pedro Rodriguez scored the goals on a comfortable night for Barca, who have increased their lead at the top of La Liga to four points. Duda scored a consolation free-kick but Malaga were not on the same level, even with recent big-name signing Julio Baptista among the ranks.

It was a case of better late than never for Valencia on matchday nineteen as they beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 thanks to goals from Jeremy Mathieu and Pablo Hernandez in the 77th and 93rd minutes respectively. Miguel Angel Lotina’s team tried parking the team bus in front of the away goal for the duration of the game but someone left a window open and they was exposed in the final fifteen minutes.

Atletico Madrid finally recorded a win in 2011 as things came together at home to Real Mallorca on Monday even without talismanic captain Sergio Aguero in the team. Juan Valera, Diego Forlan and Jose Antonio Reyes scored three goals spread out over the ninety minutes to give the Vicente Calderon faithful a 3-0 win and something to cheer about after a difficult few weeks.

Jose Callejon struck twice at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Espanyol ended Sevilla’s unbeaten start to 2011 with a 1-2 win on Saturday night. It was a rare occasion on which Mauricio Pochettino’s team were superior away from home and they made Sevilla pay the price for their defensive vulnerability, which surfaced again at the Pizjuan. Alvaro Negredo scored a consolation goal late in second half stoppage time but a comeback was never on the cards.

Only goal difference confines Real Zaragoza to a place in the bottom three as they made it back to back home wins with a 1-0 victory over Levante at the Romareda. Visibility was very poor inside the stadium due to heavy fog but Luis Garcia Plaza had a good enough view to complain that a disallowed which prejudiced his team was perfectly legal. Zaragoza skipper Gabi scored the only goal on the stroke of half time and it was a fine effort worthy of the match-winner. 

Villarreal concluded business in the first half of the league campaign with a 4-2 win over Osasuna, which means Juan Carlos Garrido’s maintain their unbeaten run at the Madrigal in what has been a record breaking season for them so far. Marco Ruben, Ruben Cani, Joan Capdevila and Gonzalo Rodriguez scored for the hosts and Krisztian Vadocz and Javier Calleja responded for the visitors. Osasuna were not the worst we have seen them in 2010-11 but they were simply outclassed in Castellon.

Sporting de Gijon squeezed themselves out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Hercules at the Molinon on matchday nineteen. David Barral and Nacho Cases’ first half goals helped the Asturians end a run of eleven league games without a win and eased the pressure on club manager Manuel Preciado’s head. Hercules painted a sorry picture on the road yet again.

The big shock of matchday nineteen was not Real Madrid’s draw at Almeria or Sevilla’s home defeat to Espanyol. The major surprise was reserved for the Coliseum Alfonso Perez where Real Sociedad, who have not been very convincing away from home this season, thrashed Getafe 0-4 thanks to goals from Xabi Prieto, Antoine Griezmann and a brace from substitute Mikel Aranburu. Getafe boss admitted that the defeat was deserved but suggested that a four goal margin was a little steep. I’m not so sure. 

Two goals in the opening ten minutes were enough to give Athletic Bilbao victory over Racing Santander at San Mames on Saturday. After Javi Martinez and Iker Muniain struck early it looked like Racing were in for a hiding but they recovered their composure and eventually hit back through Ivan Bolado to contribute to a 2-1 final scoreline.

Matchday 18 - Round-up

There was no sign of complacency within Barcelona’s ranks as they stormed to a 0-4 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor on Saturday night. This victory was Barca’s twelfth straight league win and their ninth triumph on the road, which means they conclude the first half of the 2010-11 season with an incredible 100% record away from home. David Villa, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Pedro scored the goals which keep Pep Guardiola’s team two points ahead of Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga. Depor are 12th following this home defeat but they remain a comfortable eight points above the relegation zone.

Athletic Bilbao denied Malaga’s new-look team a win on matchday eighteen as a 93rd minute equaliser from Javier Martinez gave the Basques a 1-1 draw at the Rosaleda. Martin Demichelis, a new signing recently incorporated from Bayern Munich, scored what looked like the winner for Manuel Pellegrini’s team with ten minutes remaining but their hopes of a second consecutive league win in 2011 were spoiled by Athletic’s late set-piece.

Two goals in two second half minutes from Luis Fabiano and Fredi Kanoute inspired Sevilla to a 2-3 comeback win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta. Real Sociedad led twice during the game but were overrun in the second half. Diego Rivas’ initial opener was cancelled out by Kanoute in the first half but Joseba Llorente restored the hosts’ lead just before half time. Sevilla rallied after the break, however, and deserved their three point reward thanks to a fine attacking display.

Real Mallorca exacted revenge for their cup exit at the hands of Almeria with a 4-1 demolition job at the Iberostar Estadi on Sunday evening. Ivan Ramis, Victor Casadeus, Emilio Nsue and Michael Pereira scored the goals which condemned Almeria to another week in the relegation doldrums.

Juan Mata popped up with another late controversial goal a week after his winner against Espanyol and again it looked like the Spanish international scored from an offside position. That goal gifted Valencia a 0-1 win over Levante in the east coast derby and left Luis Garcia Plaza and his players bemoaning what they perceive as unfair treatment from match officials.

Diego Castro popped up with a crucial goal in second half stoppage time to earn Sporting de Gijon a 1-1 draw against Racing Santander at the Sardinero. Miguel Angel Portugal’s team were afforded a lead by a Gregory Arnolin goal and they wasted opportunities to kill the game. Sporting did enough in the second half to prove worthy winners of a precious point on the road, which might just have kept Manuel Preciado in a job for now.

Osasuna and Getafe played out a 0-0 draw at the Reyno de Navarro on matchday eighteen to ensure a cordial point each for former Real Madrid legends Jose Antonio Camacho and Michel. Getafe were the better team in the first half but were denied an opening goal by some fine Ricardo saves. Osasuna had the initiative in the second period, however, so a draw was a fair result on balance. 

Espanyol ended a run of five matches without a win in truly comprehensive style as they whitewashed Real Zaragoza 4-0 at the Cornella El Prat stadium to lift the mood after a disappointing week in which they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey. Mauricio Pochettino’s men took an early lead through Pablo Osvaldo and were three up by half time as Luis Garcia and exciting young forward Alvaro Vazquez added to the tally. Sergio Garcia’s late strike was the icing on the cake. The win keeps Espanyol in the Champions League hunt and condemns Zaragoza to the bottom of the table again. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick at the Bernabeu on Sunday to help Real Madrid to a 4-2 victory over Villarreal in this clash between second and third in the table. Juan Carlos Garrido’s men were scintillating in the first half and took the lead twice through Ruben Cani and Marco Ruben. Ronaldo, however, levelled the score twice before giving his team the lead twelve minutes from the end, a lead which was then extended in the dying minutes by an elated Kaka, who is yet to start a game after five miserable months on the sidelines.

Atletico Madrid fell to an embarrassing defeat on matchday eighteen as they were totally outplayed in a memorable first half by Hercules at the Jose Rico Perez. Esteban Vigo’s men ran out 4-1 winners after a flurry of first half goals from Tote, Nelson Valdez, Olivier Thomert and David Trezeguet. Atletico did not respond until Jose Antonio Reyes’ 89th minute consolation goal but it was far too little too late for a team supposedly competing for a Champions League place.

Matchday 17 - Round-up

Athletic Bilbao were left with a bitter aftertaste at San Mames thanks to a 1-2 defeat to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. Joaquin Caparros’ men had far more chances than their Galician visitors but poor luck, poor finishing and a fine display by Daniel Aranzubia denied them their dues. Adrian hit a double for Deportivo to convert the only clear away chances before Fernando Llorente cut the deficit late in the second half. Mikel San Jose and Juan Rodriguez both saw red in the first half and Ustaritz was sent off two minutes before the end in what was a feisty encounter. Referee Rubinos Perez came under the spotlight for awarding Depor a penalty that never should have been and sending off San Jose in very harsh circumstances. 

Malaga got off to the perfect start in 2011 by beating Sporting de Gijon 1-2 at the Molinon and they did it without the incorporation of any of their new signings. Diego Castro gave Sporting a lead from the penalty spot towards the end of the first half but Weligton levelled the score again before the break and a second half spot kick from Antonio Apono settled the tie in Manuel Pellegrini’s side’s favour. Neither team was particularly impressive, however, but Malaga are rewarded with a relegation zone reprieve.

Pedro Rodriguez stole the show at the Camp Nou on the day that Xavi Hernandez made history by equalling Migueli’s massive 549 game haul for Barcelona. The Canary Islander scored both of Barca’s goals to help them to a 2-1 win over Levante. It was not as comfortable as many expected as Lionel Messi was sorely missed. Christian Stuani even gave the home side something to worry about with his goal ten minutes from time to ensure a tight finish, although the win did reflect Pep Guardiola’s team’s overall dominance.  

Jesus Navas showed Sevilla exactly what they have been missing during his protracted injury absence as he inspired the club to a 1-0 win over Osasuna at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to end a run of five straight league defeats. Navas set up Fredi Kanoute to score the only goal of the game in the first half. Gregorio Manzano’s team looked more defensively organised as well, although they were helped by a distinct lack of bite in the Pamplonan attack.

Valencia stole a march on their Champions League rivals Espanyol on Sunday as Juanma Mata scored a second half stoppage time winner to give Unai Emery’s men a deserved 2-1 win at Mestalla. Mata’s goal looked suspiciously as though it was scored from an offside position but Valencia deserved the winner for taking the game to the Catalans despite playing with ten men for most of the second half. Aritz Aduriz, who gave Los Che a first half lead which was cancelled out by a Ricardo Costa own-goal just before the break, was sent off on the hour mark for making contact with Javier Chica with his elbow but it was a harsh sending off for a fairly innocuous incident. Valencia now possess a three point cushion over Los Pericos in 4th place.

Despite the absence of four key players, Villarreal cantered to a 2-0 victory over Almeria on matchday seventeen. Juan Carlos Garrido’s men did not display the slick passing and lightening quick runs that they have done for most of the season but two goals from set pieces credited to Jose Manuel Catala and Borja Valero were enough against an Almeria team who offered very little in response.

Real Zaragoza finally showed some real urgency and desire and it paid off as Braulio struck late to earn Javier Aguirre’s side a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad at the Romareda. Florent Sinama-Pongolle’s brilliant opening goal was cancelled out by Xabi Prieto in the first half but the Aragonese team never gave up hope of victory.

Atletico Madrid stumbled at the first hurdle in 2011 with a dour display at the Vicente Calderon. Fortunately for Quique Sanchez Flores, Atletico’s opponent was not much better and a 0-0 draw with Racing Santander reflected both the balance of play and the just reward for two teams that performed well below par.   

Hercules’ away day misery continued at the Iberostar Estadi on Monday night where they were roundly thrashed 3-0 by Real Mallorca. The fallout from the Royston Drenthe affair might have affected Esteban Vigo’s side but it is hard to gauge just how much as this was not an atypical away performance. Emilio Nsue, Victor Casadeus and Michael Pereira scored the goals to set Mallorca on the path to victory.

Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and another from Mesut Ozil were enough to hand Real Madrid a 2-3 victory over Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Monday night, but Michel’s men made Los Merengues work for their money. Dani Parejo scored a dazzling individual goal to originally cut a two-goal deficit and Juan Albin then pulled another back late on to ensure a tense finish. Besides the derby result, there was more good news for Jose Mourinho as Kaka completed his injury comeback to play the final fifteen minutes of the game in what was his first appearance of the season.

Matchday 16 - Round-up

Barcelona broke the league record for consecutive away victories with a 1-5 thrashing of local rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Espanyol’s excellent run so far in 2010-11 and their 100% record at the Cornella El Prat this term were supposed to make this an intense and evenly fought tie but it was anything but as the Barca juggernaut rolled on. Pedro and David Villa both notched up braces and Xavi scored the other but Lionel Messi was the real star of the show, despite failing to get on the scoresheet. Pablo Osvaldo hit one back in consolation to end Victor Valdes’ run of many hours without conceding but there was no competitive element in this match and Mauricio Pochettino could only look on in wonder at the sheer brilliance of the opponent.

Earlier on Saturday, Deportivo La Coruna failed to bury their game when they had the chance and they paid a hefty price as Diego Castro scored a late equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw for Sporting de Gijon at the Riazor. Aythami put the hosts in front early on and Deportivo were dominant in the first half but they could not find a second goal. Manuel Preciado’s team did not give up hope and pressed higher up the field in the second half, for which they eventually reaped their reward.

Athletic Bilbao beat Levante 1-2 at the Ciutat de Valencia thanks to two goals from set-pieces. Igor Gabilondo scored a stunning free-kick early on against the run of play and, even though Levante equalised thanks to rising start Felipe Caicedo, poor marking allowed Javi Martinez to head in a Gabilondo cross midway through the second half. The goals were the only clear chances Athletic created and Luis Garcia Plaza is left to lament his side’s failure to assert their dominance.

It was not the complete performance but Villarreal continue to impress in the final third and the quality of their forwards and attacking midfielders shone through as they consigned Real Mallorca to a 3-1 defeat at the Madrigal. Jonathan De Guzman initially equalised after Santiago Cazorla gave Juan Carlos Garrido’s side an early lead but Giuseppe Rossi capped off a dazzling display with a penalty and Nilmar ended his dry patch with a second half goal to hand the Yellow Submarine all three points.

Valencia broke back into the top four with a last gasp 1-2 win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Saturday. A glaring error from Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo allowed Aritz Aduriz steal in to score the winner in second half stoppage time when the game was heading for a draw. Valencia were the better team and deserved the win after shrugging off the early set-back of Xabi Prieto’s penalty to level through Tino Costa and then pressing on in search of victory.

Osasuna were held to a 0-0 at the Reyno de Navarra by bottom of the league side Real Zaragoza on Sunday. Jose Antonio Camacho’s team had plenty of chances to win the game against a very defensive minded Aragonese outfit but they were denied, among other chances, by two Leonardo Ponzio goal-line clearances.

Getafe will head into the festive period in good cheer after beating Almeria 2-3 at the Juegos Mediterraneos in their final league fixture of 2010. Jose Luis Oltra’s men stole a march on their opponent by surging into a two-goal first half lead thanks to strikes from Kala Uche and Leandro Ulloa, but Getafe were dominant after Almeria’s second goal and Manu del Moral, Miku and Derek Boateng all got on the score sheet to complete a gratifying comeback. 

Three goals from set-pieces gave Atletico Madrid a comfortable 0-3 win over Malaga at the Rosaleda on Sunday, condemning Manuel Pellegrini’s side to a place in the relegation zone for the duration of the winter break. Malaga were defensively woeful again at home, leaking two goals to Tiago and one to Alvaro Dominguez and their attacking impotency gave them no options to get back in the game having fallen behind early on.

Real Madrid squeezed three points out of Sevilla with a 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend. It was an ugly, hotly-contested encounter, which will be remembered more for the bad blood on the touchline and ugly fouls on the pitch than attractive football, which was distinctly lacking on both sides. Ricardo Carvalho’s harsh dismissal at the start of the second half looked to have prejudiced Real’s chances but a solo goal from Angel di Maria eventually decided the game in the home side’s favour and Mouhamadou Dabo was sent off in the closing minutes to level the playing field.

Racing Santander and Hercules concluded La Liga football in 2010 with a dull 0-0 draw at the Sardinero on Monday night. The game threw up very few chances but Hercules substitute Javier Portillo came the closest to scoring when he hit the post late in the second half.

Matchday 15 - Round-up

A goal from substitute Juan Angel Albin in the 88th minute handed Getafe a deserved 1-0 victory over Villarreal at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday night. Michel’s men played the entire second half with ten men following Daniel Cata Diaz’s dismissal but they performed better in that period than they had with numerical parity. Albin’s heroic status was tarnished by the fact that he stupidly removed his shirt while celebrating his goal was subsequently sent off for a second bookable offence. 

Two first half goals from in-form hitman Sergio Aguero gave Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Vicente Calderon. Despite playing five men at the back, Miguel Angel Lotina’s men played a high line and Atletico exploited the space with quick counter attacks. Diego Forlan missed a penalty before El Kun put the home side ahead but his blushes were spared by the individual brilliance of his strike partner.

Sevilla fell to their 5th consecutive defeat in all competitions with a dire 1-3 reverse to provincial rivals Almeria at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Fredi Kanoute, who scored the only home goal, missed a penalty and Alexis was sent off late on to confound Sevilla’s night, but the credit should go to Jose Luis Oltra’s team, who earned themselves a relegation reprieve thanks to a Fabian Vargas goal and two wonderful strikes from Argentine gem Pablo Piatti.

Sporting de Gijon are now eight league games without a win as they failed to beat Levante at the Molinon on Sunday afternoon. In fact, Manuel Preciado’s team had to chase the game for nine second half minutes after Felipe Caicedo put the visitors in front but man-of-the-match Jose Angel went on to set up Sebastian Eguren for an equaliser and the match finished 1-1.

Hercules put in a magnificent second half performance to overhaul a half time deficit and eventually crush Malaga 4-1 at the Jose Rico Perez. Sebastian Fernandez put the visitors in front in the first half but the Alicante-based club came flying out of the traps in the second half and goals from David Trezeguet, Royston Drenthe, Abraham Paz and Kiko Femenia gave Esteban Vigo’s side a well-deserved victory against Manuel Pellegrini’s defensively catastrophic team.

Like Hercules, Athletic Bilbao went into the half time break losing but managed to turn the game around to beat Espanyol 2-1 at San Mames. The scoreline was not as impressive as in Alicante but the second half performance from the Basques was equally emphatic and they managed to overturn a side who did not simply roll over like Malaga. Joaquin Caparros’ second half changes proved vital as Pablo Osvaldo’s goal was cancelled out by Fernando Llorente before David Lopez hit a winner twelve minutes from time. 

Oscar Serrano made a dream comeback from a long-term injury, scoring a second half stoppage time winner to give Racing Santander a 0-1 victory over Real Mallorca at the Iberostar Estadi. It was the Cantabrians’ first away win of the season and it came at the ground of one of the strongest home teams in the division. Michael Laudrup’s men could have won the game in the second half but Tono made a stunning save to deny Victor Casadeus with the goal gaping.

Real Zaragoza set out their stall to make life difficult for Real Madrid at the Romareda but, after a difficult opening ten minutes or so for the visitors, Jose Mourinho’s men eventually took control of the game and surged into a three goal lead thanks to strikes from Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria. Gabi spoiled Iker Casillas 400th appearance by scoring from the penalty spot but Real’s were never in danger of squandering their lead and it finished 1-3.

Despite everything they’ve won and the slick style in which they’ve done it, this Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola just keeps getting better and better. A 5-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday was just one in a long line of stunning results built around sublime performances. David Villa, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi (twice) and Bojan scored the goals but it should also be noted that they kept yet another clean sheet as the defensive efficiency of the side continues to increase. This team is truly one for the history books having already surpassed the feats of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” and Real Madrid’s “Quinta del Buitre”.

Valencia threw away a two-goal half time lead against Osasuna to draw 3-3 at Mestalla on Monday night. Roberto Soldado, Marius Stankevicius and Aritz Aduriz scored in the first half with one in response from Juanfran Torres but Jose Antonio Camacho’s side rallied late on, cancelling out the deficit with goals from Miguel Flano and Carlos Aranda and they could have even won the game such was the nervousness displayed by the home team towards the end.

Matchday 14 - Round-up

Real Madrid responded immediately to their Clasico disappointment with a 2-0 win over Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. Two late goals by Cristiano Ronaldo handed Jose Mourinho’s team victory in controversial circumstances after David Albelda was the subject of a very harsh dismissal by Perez Lasa for a phantom handball. Unai Emery’s men did not make it easy but Real are a superior side and they deserved the win here after creating more chances than their opponent.

Barcelona refused to use the uncertainty surrounding this tie amidst the travel chaos on Saturday as an excuse in Pamplona, as they put in a thoroughly professional performance to beat Osasuna 0-3 at the Reyno de Navarra. The game was decided by a goal from Pedro Rodriguez and a double strike from Balon D’Or candidate Lionel Messi.

Levante not only humbled Atletico Madrid 2-0 at the Ciutat de Valencia this weekend, but they did it in style as they nullified Quique Sanchez Flores’ team’s attacking threat and played some excellent football on their way to an important home victory. Victoriano Nano’s very early goal was a crucial juncture and, when Felipe Caicedo hit a second just over ten minutes into the second half, it was clear the game was over.

Espanyol made it seven wins out of seven at the Cornella El Prat stadium this season with a 1-0 win over Sporting de Gijon on Sunday. Mauricio Pochettino’s went ahead through Luis Garcia in the second half despite playing with ten men following the dismissal of Raul Baena. It took a physical, unattractive finale for Los Pericos to close out the game but the reward was a four point cushion in 4th place.

Neither Almeria nor Real Zaragoza was interested in a draw in this bottom of the table clash but the points were eventually shared at the Juegos Mediterraneos as Pablo Piatti cancelled out Gabi’s second half penalty to earn Jose Luis Oltra’s team a 1-1 tie. Fragile in defence and wasteful in attack: it is little wonder these two teams occupy the last two slots at the foot of the La Liga classification.

Pedro Rios put in a scintillating display to lead Getafe to a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Michael Laudrup’s team looked weary after their tiresome trip, which was complicated by the air traffic control strike. But even a fresh team would have had trouble coping with Pedro Rios in this form. He scored two first half goals to guarantee victory long before Dani Parejo finished the visitors off late in the second period.

Racing Santander’s miserable stretch away from home continued on matchday fourteen as Malaga thrashed the Cantabrians 4-1 at the Rosaleda. Eliseu and Jose Rondon were the main protagonists for the home side, who looked the most impressive we have seen them under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. Eliseu opened the scoring and Recio doubled the lead before Markus Rosenberg cut the deficit on the stroke of half time. However, two fine assists by Brazilian winger Eliseu allowed Jose Rondon to increase his tally to five goals in 2010-11 while simultaneously condemning Miguel Angel Portugal’s side to a heavy defeat.

A solitary first half goal from Nilmar was enough to hand Villarreal a 1-0 win over Sevilla at the Madrigal on Sunday, extending Gregorio Manzano’s team’s losing streak to four games. Juan Carlos Garrido’s men were superior in the first half and, even when Sevilla reacted in the second period, they could not find a breakthrough with the exception of an Alvaro Negredo goal which was wrongly disallowed for offside. 

Real Sociedad won bragging rights in the Basque Country on Sunday night as they beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at Anoeta. Xabi Prieto was the star for the hosts, scoring a penalty and forcing an own-goal, while former Liverpool cadet Mikel San Jose was the villain of the piece, conceding the penalty and scoring the own-goal which consigned his team to defeat. 

A set-piece move converted by Lassad Nouioui was the only difference between Deportivo La Coruna and Hercules in an overly tactical and, frankly, boring game at the Riazor. Both teams looked more interested in maintaining clean sheets than scoring but Miguel Angel Lotina’s decision to stick with the five man defence was finally justified by his team’s 1-0 victory.

Matchday 13 - Round-up

Barcelona demolished Real Madrid 5-0 in the Gran Clasico on Monday night, firmly re-establishing themselves as favourites to win the league title. Jose Mourinho cut a forlorn figure at the Camp Nou but had no complaints after the game as Barca put in a spell-binding performance to humiliate their bitter rivals. Xavi, Pedro, Villa (2) and Jeffren scored the goals that settled the tie on this historic night for the Catalan club.

Rewind two days and Villarreal’s quality shone through at the Romareda on Saturday evening as they sentenced Real Zaragoza to a 0-3 defeat thanks to goals from Marcos Senna, Santiago Cazorla and Nilmar. It was Javier Aguirre’s first home game in charge at Zaragoza and his first defeat; dragging the Aragonese club off the bottom of the table is going to take all the Mexican’s managerial guile.

Gregorio Manzano’s midweek motivational speech had little effect on his Sevilla team, who suffered a second consecutive home defeat against Getafe at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan this weekend. To confound matters, the Andalusians threw away a half time lead they had earned thanks to a Fredi Kanoute goal as Manu del Moral, Miku and Pedro Rios all struck in the second half. This 1-3 win ended a miserable run for Getafe and eased the pressure on under-fire coach Michel.

Espanyol have enjoyed a sensational start to the 2010-11 season but none of their results hitherto have been as spectacular or impressive as the 2-3 reverse they meted out to Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino’s team went ahead not once, not twice, but three times as Tiago and Sergio Aguero cancelled out goals from Luis Garcia and Joan Verdu during the game but a stunning winner from Pablo Osvaldo eventually won it for Los Pericos to keep them among the top four.

Markus Rosenberg finally found the back of the net to help Racing Santander to a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Sardinero on Sunday, but Miguel Angel Portugal still has the worrying conversion rate to fret over. Racing missed a string of chances against a bland Deportivo side, including their third penalty blunder of 2010-11.

Esteban Vigo’s big guns fired Hercules to glory in the east coast derby against Levante on matchday thirteen. Two goals from Nelson Valdez and one from David Trezeguet helped the Alicante-based club to a 3-1 victory over Luis Garcia Plaza’s injury-hit side, who were able to respond just once with a goal from Ruben Suarez.

Sporting de Gijon suffered another crisis of confidence at the Molinon this weekend as they fell 1-3 to Real Sociedad. Despite taking an early lead through centre back Gregory Arnolin Manuel Preciado’s men showed a worrying lack of composure. Real took control of the game and went on to enjoy themselves as goals from Xabi Prieto, David Zurutuza and Mikel Aranburu turned the tie on its head. In 9th position, Martin Lasarte’s team continue to distinguish themselves as the most impressive promoted club.

Two goals in the space of four minutes from Pierre Webo and Chori Castro handed Real Mallorca a comfortable sounding 2-0 victory over Malaga at the Iberostar stadium on Sunday evening. Michael Laudrup will be satisfied with the points but, truth be told, neither team really deserved a win after a dour ninety minutes of football.

A second half stoppage-time winner from Carlos Gurpegui gave Athletic Bilbao a 1-0 win over Osasuna at San Mames. Gorka Iraizoz and Ricardo Lopez both made telling contributions in goal for their respective teams but aerial bombardment was the strategy of choice for both clubs and Joaquin Caparros’ men are the league’s supreme side in that regard.

Jose Luis Oltra was subjected to defeat in his first game in charge or Almeria as Roberto Soldado struck twice to lead Valencia to a 2-1 win at Mestalla. Unai Emery’s team survived a late scare as Leandro Ulloa hit an 89th minute consolation goal; this win keeps them within spitting distance of the top four.

Matchday 12 - Round-up

Barcelona geared up for next weekend's Gran Clasico with an incredible 0-8 win over Almeria at the Juegos Mediterraneos. It was the first time in fifty years that Barca have won by such a comprehensive score line. Almeria president Alfonso Garcia was so incensed that he sacked manager Juanma Lillo on the spot just minutes after the final whistle. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick, Bojan came off the bench to grab a double and the other goals came from Andres Iniesta, Pedro and a Santiago Acasiete own-goal.

Despite that phenomenal result, it was not enough to put Pep Guardiola's men top of La Liga, as Real Madrid responded with a 5-1 thumping of Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu. Athletic started well and could have been ahead early on but Jose Mourinho's men weathered the storm and eventually won comfortably thanks to Gonzalo Higuain's opener, a Sergio Ramos penalty and a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. Fernando Llorente continued his fine scoring run with Athletic's only goal just before half time. Real lead Barcelona by one point heading into next Monday's showdown and it promises to be an exhilarating spectacle for a global audience.

Earlier on Saturday night, Villarreal and Valencia lost further ground on the top two as they played out a 1-1 draw at the Madrigal. Unai Emery set his team out to defend with five at the back and they nicked an early lead thanks to a clever flick from Aritz Aduriz. Villarreal were the better team throughout, though, and they deserved their second half equaliser from Giuseppe Rossi. They could have won the game after Marius Stankevicius' red card gave them a big advantage in the last ten minutes but Valencia held on for a draw to increase the gap between second placed Barcelona and third placed Villarreal to seven points.

Deportivo La Coruna’s five man defence has become very hard to break down and it served them well on Sunday as they beat Malaga 3-0 at the Riazor. The scoreline flattered Miguel Angel Lotina’s team slightly, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side suffered for their weakness at defending set-pieces. Adrian, Diego Colotto and Pablo Alvarez scored the goals which condemned Malaga to another week in the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, former Malaga striker Felipe Caicedo put in a superb display to help Levante to a 3-1 victory over Racing Santander at the Ciutat de Valencia. Two first half goals from the Ecuadorian followed by a direct red card to Racing left back Domingo Cisma decided the Cantabrian's fate with three quarters of the game left to play. Christian Stuani also got in on the action with a goal before half time but Mehdi Lacen scored a late consolation goal to reduce the final deficit to two. Several top flight managers have lost their jobs in recent weeks and the pressure on Miguel Angel Portugal's head is starting to mount.

Espanyol made it six out of six home wins this season with a 3-0 victory over Hercules at the Cornella El Prat on matchday twelve. Joan Verdu gave the hosts an early lead but the result was only safe after Juan Calatayud's 80th minute red card and Pablo Osvaldo's subsequent penalty. Another spot kick in stoppage time converted by Luis Garcia completed the rout.

Iranian midfielder Masoud Shojaei scored the only goal for Osasuna as they beat Sporting de Gijon 1-0 at the Reyno de Navarra. After the intensity of last week's bitter clash with Real Madrid, Manuel Preciado's side looked drained and uninspired and they effectively gifted Jose Antonio Camacho's team three points due to their lack of intensity. 

Real Mallorca caused the shock of the weekend as they upset former manager Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla with a 1-2 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The Balearic visitors led for a long time thanks to Michael Pereira's first half goal but Luis Fabiano's strike three minutes before the end threatened to ruin Michael Laudrup's day. Justice was eventually done, however, as Mallorca responded immediately to Sevilla's equaliser by going up the other end and scoring via the head of Cameroonian forward Pierre Webo. This was Gregorio Manzano’s first home loss in the league since he took over at Sevilla and, after beating Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Valencia at the Pizjuan, he was not expecting his old team, who are notoriously poor on the road, to come here and triumph.

Sunday's action concluded with Atletico Madrid staging a late comeback to beat Real Sociedad 2-4 at Anoeta. The Basque side led from the 12th minute, when Joseba Llorente put them in front, until the 71st minute when Diego Forlan equalised. Two goals in three minutes from man-of-the-match Sergio Aguero completed the turn around and sentenced the tie, even though an 85th minute goal from Diego Rivas gave Real a slim hope of a draw until Simao's stoppage time penalty re-established a two goal cushion.

Getafe did underfire boss Michel no favours as they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom of the league side Real Zaragoza at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Monday night. The Madrilenos had to come from behind after Nicolas Bertolo put Javier Aguirre's side in front. Adrian Coluna equalised from the spot but Getafe wasted chances to win the game after Zaragoza defender Leonardo Ponzio was sent off midway through the second half.  Under the circumstances, it was a satisfying debut for Mexican manager Aguirre, but he still has a lot of work to do at the Romareda.

Matchday 11 - Round-up

All the talk at the beginning of the weekend was about the spat between Manuel Preciado and Jose Mourinho in the run up to Real Madrid's trip to the Molinon to play Sporting de Gijon and Mourinho came away smiling but also relieved after his side squeezed out three hard fought points with a 0-1 win in Asturias. Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal ten minutes from time after a heated physical battle; the encounter threatened to boil over when Alberto Botia was sent off for a lunging foul on Cristiano Ronaldo in stoppage time but the real stand-off apparently came in the cark park after the game where Preciado made some unseemly gestures at the Real team bus. Unfortunately there were no cameras on hand to capture the incident so events vary depending on who describes them.

Twenty-four hours earlier, matchday eleven got underway in the Basque country where Athletic Bilbao struck early through Fernando Llorente and then held on to beat Almeria 1-0 despite having a man sent off at the end of both halves. Joaquin Caparros' men could have had an even earlier lead if Mikel San Jose had converted his penalty effort but they did not have to wait long for Llorente to convert Igor Martinez's fine cross. Koikili and Xabi Castillo both saw red for fouls on Henok Goitom but Almeria failed to put up much resistance at San Mames are were incapable of mounting a comeback.

Diego Forlan hit top form for the first time this season to help Atletico Madrid end a run of four league games without a win at home to Osasuna. The Uruguayan star scored twice and provided an assist for Sergio Aguero as the rojiblancos triumphed 3-0 at the Vicente Calderon. Osasuna were not push-overs on this occasion but were denied by some telling interventions from David De Gea and were handicapped by the second half dismissal of their international left-back Nacho Monreal.

Lionel Messi stole the show in the matchday eleven centre piece as he scored twice in the second half to guide Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Villarreal at the Camp Nou. Nilmar cancelled out David Villa's early goal with a fine individual effort in the opening period but Messi eventually proved to be the difference between two of the most exciting attacking teams in Europe.

A last minute Alvaro Negredo goal gave Sevilla a 1-2 victory over Real Zaragoza at the Romareda on Sunday. Gregorio Manzano's team started well, going ahead through Luis Fabiano in the course of a quiet first half but their grip on the game was loosened when Nicolas Bertolo levelled with his head and then Fernando Navarro was sent off for a professional foul. However, Sevilla's attacking superiority eventually shone through and substitute Negredo pounced on Jiri Jarosik's mistake to provide the late winner. 

Deportivo La Coruna extended their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions thanks to a bit of luck and the fortuitous intervention of the woodwork on a couple of occasions at the Iberostar stadium. Emilio Nsue headed onto the post and Michael Pereira slammed the crossbar in the first half but Daniel Aranzubia's workload was otherwise relatively light as Real Mallorca were held to a 0-0 draw in Palma. 

Carlos Kameni was the main protagonist of Racing Santander's 0-0 draw with Espanyol at the Campos de Sport del Sardinero on Sunday as he pulled off a string of important saves, including a penalty stop to deny Ariel Nalhuelpan from eleven yards, to earn Mauricio Pochettino's side a useful point on the road. Both goalkeepers deserve credit for the clean sheets but under fire Racing boss Miguel Angel Portugal was the more disappointed of the two managers as his side wasted the clearer chances.

Malaga recorded a 1-0 win over Levante at the Rosaleda to give the Andalusians their first points at home this season and maintain Manuel Pellegrini's 100% record at his new club but they did not deserve a draw, much less a win, as Luis Garcia Plaza's men created far more chances but were denied by poor fortune and the Malaga crossbar. Eliseu's winning goal, at least, was an absolute cracker from twenty-five yards.

Hercules ended a run of seven matches without a win when they came from behind to beat fellow promoted club Real Sociedad 2-1 at the Jose Rico Perez. Electric French teenager Antoine Griezmann gave the visitors the initiative but Esteban Vigo was left pleasantly surprised by a second half turn around that saw high profile summer signings David Trezeguet and Royston Drenthe both get on the scoresheet.

Valencia moved back into the last Champions League qualification spot on matchday eleven as they inflicted a 2-0 defeat on a woefully inept Getafe side at Mestalla. Tino Costa scored Valencia's 4000th goal in the Primera Division to open the scoring and Unai Emery's captain David Navarro finished Michel's men off in the second half after a dominant display by Los Che.

Matchday 10 - Round-up

Joseba Llorente's fine scoring run continued on matchday ten as his early first half goal gave Real Sociedad a 1-0 win over Racing Santander at Anoeta. Sociedad's excellent home form has helped them rise to 6th in the league standings, putting them inside the Europa League qualification bracket at this early stage.

Espanyol occupy a Champions League qualifying position (4th) thanks to their 1-0 win over Malaga at the Cornella El Prat on Saturday night. Javi Marquez scored with a blistering strike in the first minute and Mauricio Pochettino's side held on but it was an evenly fought tie and Malaga may even feel a little hard done by that they couldn’t get the draw their superior possession deserved. Manuel Pellegrini, who was watching on from the stands, takes over at Malaga this week and he has a lot of work to do to get Los Boquerones out of the relegation zone where they currently reside in last place.

Villarreal came from a goal down to thrash Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at the Madrigal. Fernando Llorente squeezed the Basque club into an early lead but Juan Carlos Garrido's team continues to prove unassailable at home and they came back with goals from internationals Nilmar, Santiago Cazorla, Giuseppe Rossi and Jefferson Montero.

Real Zaragoza recorded their first win of the season in a topsy-turvy 3-2 win over Real Mallorca at the Romareda on Sunday afternoon. Mallorca led twice thanks to goals from Pierre Webo and Michael Perreira, with an Angel Lafita equaliser sandwiched in between and that was how the game was poised with just over five minutes left on the clock. An explosive finish, however, which saw Nicolo Bertolo equalise and then Zaragoza skipper Gabi slot home a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time, shifted the game in the Aragonese club's favour.

Consecutive wins on matchday nine and ten have lifted Deportivo La Coruna away from the relegation zone and alleviated some of the pressure on Miguel Angel Lotina. The second of those back to back victories came at the Ciutat de Valencia on Sunday as the Galicians beat Levante 1-2. The return to full fitness of Riki has been instrumental in Depor's resurgence. He scored the first and was involved in the build up for Aythami's second. Juanlu cut the deficit midway through the second half but Levante were not convincing and their punishment is to be re-acquainted with the relegation zone.

A woeful defensive performance from Hercules saw them crash to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Osasuna at the Reyno de Navarra. Jose Antonio Camacho's men might win the award for inconsistency so far this season but their glimpses of quality continue to keep the drop zone at arms length. Nacho Monreal, Lolo and Krisztian Vadocz were on the score sheet as the Pamplonans did untold damage at set plays. Esteban Vigo's men failed to produce anything in attack.

Almeria are yet to win at home and Sporting de Gijon are yet to win on the road so it should have come as no surprise that these two teams shared the spoils on matchday ten with a 1-1 draw. Pablo Piatti failed to convert a one on one which would have buried the game after Corona had given the Andalusians the lead and Manuel Preciado's second half changes paid off as Miguel de las Cuevas gave Sporting a big lift before Nacho Novo hit a volleyed equaliser.

Lionel Messi was unplayable again this weekend as he helped Barcelona to a 1-3 win over Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Messi, David Villa and Pedro propelled Barca into a three goal lead before Getafe's all time leading scorer in the top flight Manu del Moral cut the margin from the penalty spot. Gerard Pique saw two yellows and a subsequent red in the second half but the Madrilenos only held a numerical advantage for about ten minutes as Derek Boateng was also dismissed for a second bookable offence late on.

Jose Antonio Reyes suffered a disappointing return to the Santiago Bernabeu as two errors in the opening twenty minutes led to two goals which won the game for Real Madrid. Ricardo Carvalho, who is fast becoming the bargain of the season, scored the first and was a rock in defence as Sergio Aguero threatened plenty of menace. Mesut Ozil scored the other to give Real a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, which was too comfortable for this to be remembered as a derby classic. Jose Mourinho's team, who are still unbeaten, are clearly laying down the gauntlet to their rivals.

Alexis stole the headlines in the build up as he faced his former team but it was his central defensive partner Martin Caceres who put on a man-of-the-match display to help Sevilla to a 2-0 win over Valencia. Mehmet Topal saw a straight red for a foul on Caceres midway through the first half but that was not the Uruguayan's only contribution. He was solid in defence and surprisingly dangerous in attack. At half time the game was still deadlocked by Gregory Manzano threw caution to the wind in the second period and goals from Alvaro Negredo and Alejandro Alfaro eventually did the trick against a team which suffered with the personnel deficit.

Matchday 9 - Round-up

Valencia's stuttering form carried over into matchday nine as they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom of the table side Real Zaragoza at Mestalla on Saturday evening. The Aragonese club took a very early lead through Maurizio Lanzaro but the Italian defender scored an own goal at the other end just before half time to level the scores. Jose Aurelio Gay's team actually outplayed Unai Emery's, even after Ander Herrera was harshly sent off in the second half by Delgado Ferreiro.

Hercules also struck early to shock Real Madrid at the Jose Rico Perez but David Trezeguet's goal was not enough in the end as Angel di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo (2), scored to turn the match on its head in the second half and ensure all three points in a 1-3 victory for Jose Mourinho's men. Ronaldo continues to break scoring records for Real; he now has eleven goals in nine league games so far in 2010-11.

Barcelona finally won with some style on Saturday as they demolished Sevilla 5-0 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi made it seven goals in his last three matches at home to the Andalusians with a brace and David Villa also struck twice to banish doubts about his form. Dani Alves scored the other and then refused to celebrate against his old club, although I'm sure it meant little to Sevilla's embarrassed travelling fans. 

Deportivo La Coruna recorded their first win of the season thanks to a solid defensive performance at the Riazor, halting Espanyol's fine run with a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. Depor's set-piece machine was well-oiled and played a part in all three goals from Adrian, Alberto Lopo and Diego Colotto. Mauricio Pochettino's team, who offered very little in response, were unrecognisable from the side that has shot up the table in recent weeks.

Malaga's dismal run at the Rosaleda continued as they made it five out of five defeats at home this season with a 1-2 reverse to Real Sociedad. Despite a strong start for the hosts, Martin Lasarte's team opened up a two goal lead through Antoine Griezmann and Joseba Llorente and Malaga responded too late. Juanmi eventually cut the deficit but Antonio Apono missed a penalty before that and now the pressure is really mounting on Jesualdo Ferreria, with reports that he could be replaced by Manuel Pellegrini beginning to surface.

Racing Santander had their Swedish contingent to thank for their 4-1 win over Osasuna at the Sardinero this weekend. Kennedy scored a free-kick and Markus Rosenberg grabbed a brace before Marc Torrejon completed the rout to hand under fire boss Miguel Angel Portugal a lifeline. Osasuna were outplayed and only managed to respond with one goal courtesy of a penalty scored by Iranian midfielder Javad Nekounam.

A 93rd minute penalty from Giuseppe Rossi salvaged a point for Villarreal at the Molinon as Juan Carlos Garrido's side drew 1-1 with Sporting de Gijon. The Asturian hosts were under the kosh in the first half but took the lead at the start of the second when Diego Castro scored from the spot after Gonzalo Rodriguez's handball. Rodriguez was sent off for a second booking a little later and Sporting should have killed the game but were guilty of wasting chances. Carlos Marchena was pushed over in the box to earn Villarreal a late penalty and a point, which was the least they deserved after dominating for long periods.

Diego Alves' stock went up again on matchday ten as he pulled off more than half a dozen wonder saves to deny Atletico Madrid victory at the Vicente Calderon. Quique Sanchez Flores' side took a first half lead through Sergio Aguero but were pegged back just before the break by Pablo Piatti (aka "the scourge of Atletico Madrid") and Alves' acrobatic goalkeeping made sure of a 1-1 final scoreline and a valuable point for Almeria.

Athletic Bilbao were utterly convincing in their 3-0 win over Getafe at San Mames on Sunday night. The game was over before it really got started as Andoni Iraola and a Mikel San Jose penalty put Joaquin Caparros' side two up within twelve minutes. Igor Gabilondo came off the bench to rub salt into Madrileno wounds with a powerfully struck goal late on in the game.

A late Pierre Webo goal completed a comeback for Michael Laudrup's Real Mallorca at the Iberostar stadium on Monday night. The Balearic club beat Levante 2-1 in Palma despite the visitors going ahead through Christian Stuani in the first half. Marcos Perreira equalised just after the hour mark and Cameroonian forward Webo put the finishing touch on the winner as a reward for Mallorca's faith in their home consistency.

Matchday 8 - Round-up

Barcelona are yet to hit top gear this season but Lionel Messi's goalscoring form is apparently enough to carry them for the time being. The World Player of the Year hit his second consecutive brace to give Pep Guardiola's side a 0-2 win over Real Zaragoza at the Romareda. Jose Aurelio Gay's team were positive in their approach for a team in their predicament but their cause was not helped by a silly red card rightly awarded to Leonardo Ponzio for smacking Dani Alves on the back of the head.

While Barca labour to wins, Real Madrid continue to sweep aside all opposition. Racing Santander were the victims this weekend as Cristiano Ronaldo hit four and Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil scored one each to give Jose Mourinho's men a 6-1 victory over Racing at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Cantabrians were simply no match for Los Merengues, but their only memorable shot on goal went in, with Papakouli Diop's drive taking a wicked deflection off Markus Rosenberg to fool Iker Casillas.

Real Mallorca are turning into one of those clubs that the big teams dread playing and there was evidence of that on Saturday when they shocked Valencia with a 1-2 win at Mestalla. Chori Castro struck both goals for the visitors (the first from the penalty spot) and Unai Emery's much changed side could only respond through Roberto Soldado's spot kick. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia have all failed to beat Michael Laudrup's men so far this season.

Espanyol are settling down in the European places after they beat Levante 2-1 at Cornella El Prat. Jesus Datolo and Jose Callejon gave Mauricio Pochettino's side a comfortable lead before Christian Stuani struck late to ensure a tense finish. Los Pericos were comfortable in their dominance for the most part and playing against ten men for most of the second half following Xisco Nadal's dismissal helped.

Osasuna put aside their goalscoring worries on Sunday afternoon to record a surprisingly easy 3-0 victory over Malaga at the Reyno de Navarra. Iranian pair Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei went some way to appeasing their critics by scoring in the first half and Carlos Aranda rounded up the victory with a goal line flick after the break. Malaga are usually strong on the road but were completely lacking any attacking momentum in Pamplona.

Leandro Ulloa came off the bench to rescue a point for Almeria at the Juegos Mediterraneos on Sunday. Hercules took the lead through Paraguayan international Nelson Valdez and looked set for the win against a nervous rojiblanco team but Ulloa's late strike earned Juanma Lillo's side a 1-1 draw.

Sporting de Gijon were undone by Getafe's set-piece superiority in a 3-0 defeat at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Derek Boateng, Adrian Colunga (penalty) and Ivan Marcano scored for Michel's men to preserve their reputation as a thoroughly difficult team to break down on their own patch.

Sevilla fought to suppress a comeback as they beat Athletic Bilbao 4-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night. Luis Fabiano (2) and Fredi Kanoute gave Gregorio Manzano's team a three nil lead before Fernando Llorente struck twice to give the Basque side hope. Kanoute finally sentenced the game from the penalty spot before Igor Gabilondo got pulses racing again deep into stoppage time. If the score line wasn't crazy enough, the man holding the whistle, Clos Gomez had something of the mad cow in his eye as he awarded the hosts two penalties and handed out no less than eleven bookings including a red card to Fernando Navarro.

There was more refereeing controversy in Villarreal's 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Ramirez Dominguez waved away three strong Atletico penalty claims to ensure Diego Lopez kept a clean sheet. Besides that polemic, Juan Carlos Garrido's team were impressive going forward and Ruben Cani and Giuseppe Rossi's goals in either half were well deserved rewards for some fantastic incisive football.

Deportivo La Coruna were condemned to another week in the relegation zone by a Real Sociedad team who continue to flourish at Anoeta. The Basque club vanquished the Galicians 3-0 with goals from Joseba Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Agirretxe Arruti. Young French winger Griezmann was particularly devastating for this poor Depor side. Miguel Angel Lotina was bullish about turning around the club's fortunes in the post-match press conference but he is now under serious pressure.

Matchday 7 - Round-up

An unfortunate Jordi Codina own-goal forced by a rebounding Simao free-kick and a close range Diego Costa finish helped Atletico Madrid canter to a 2-0 win over Getafe in Saturday's derby. Atletico did not hit top gear and Getafe were very lacklustre in attack so it did not make for a fantastic spectacle at the Vicente Calderon but at least the best team won.

Barcelona's clash with Valencia at the Camp Nou provided plenty of excitment as the Catalans re-established their championship credentials by coming from a goal down to beat Unai Emery's men 2-1. Valencia should have killed the game during a dominant first half display in which Pablo Hernandez scored the only goal but chances were wasted and Xavi masterminded Barca's victory as he provided assists for Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol to turn the game on its head.

Real Madrid were unplayable at the Rosaleda as they crushed Malaga 1-4 thanks to doubles from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain. Kris pulled one back for Los Boquerones but they were unable to keep up with the likes of Ronaldo, Higuain, Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria, who are firing on all cylinders at the moment. This win puts Jose Mourinho's side top of the league, a position they will maintain if Villarreal fail to beat Hercules on Monday.

Diego Alves' acrobatics prevented Almeria from falling to a much heavier defeat at the Sardinero on Sunday but, as it was, Racing Santander triumphed 1-0 courtesy of a first half Pedro Munitis goal. It was the former Real Madrid veteran's first goal in La Liga since April 2009 and it was much needed by Miguel Angel Portugal considering Markus Rosenberg missed a hatful of chances for the Cantabrians.

The two most inept attacking sides in the division clashed at the Riazor this weekend and it should come as no surprise that Deportivo La Coruna and Osasuna played out a 0-0 draw. Goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez, once of Manchester United, deserves a lot of credit for keeping a clean sheet as he blocked numerous Depor chances. A point was enough to lift the Galicians off the bottom of the table but Miguel Angel Lotina will not get carried away as three goals in seven games makes seriously grim reading.

Levante came out on top in the battle of the promoted clubs at the Ciutat de Valencia, vanquishing Real Sociedad 2-1 to record their second win of the season. Luis Garcia Plaza's side deserved their win, which came thanks to goals from loanees Asier del Horno and Felipe Caicedo. Jeffrey Sarpong came off the bench to reduce the deficit for the Basques but Martin Lesarte's team were generally disappointing. 

Espanyol seiged the ramparts at "fortress" Ono Estadi to become the first team to inflict defeat on Real Mallorca in Palma in 2010-11. A Luis Garcia penalty in the first half was enough to give Mauricio Pochettino's men a 1-0 win even though the Catalans played for nearly an hour at a numerical disadvantage owing to Pablo Osvaldo's sending off. Michael Laudrup made several changes in defence for this match and he must bear the brunt of the criticism after this poor display.

Athletic Bilbao nudged Real Zaragoza down to the bottom of the table with a 2-1 victory over the Aragonese club at San Mames. Andoni Iraola and in-form striker Fernando Llorente got the goals on a pleasing night for the Basque outfit. Jose Aurelio Gay's team were never competitive and Braulio's consolation goal for the visitors came deep into second half stoppage time.

Sporting de Gijon pulled off the shock of the weekend by gunning down Sevilla 2-0 at El Molinon with two brilliant goals by Gaston Sangoy and Diego Castro at the beginning of the first and second halves respectively. It was a first taste of defeat for Gregorio Manzano in Sevilla colours. His team were insipid in the final third with Luis Fabiano almost unrecognisable from the man who led Brazil in South Africa; unless his confidence is restored, Fabiano's days at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will be numbered.

Matchday 6 - Round-up

Real Zaragoza pulled off a remarkable turn-around at the Romareda on Saturday evening, coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Sporting de Gijon in the matchday six curtain-raiser. An Ivan Obradovic own goal and a Diego Castro penalty gave Manuel Preciado's team a comfortable lead but Zaragoza, despite being reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Jiri Jarosik, managed to claw their way back thanks to a fine Florent Sinama-Pongolle brace.

Real Sociedad pressed and pressed against Espanyol and finally got their reward at Anoeta in the 83rd minute when Juan Forlin turned the ball into his own net to hand the Basque hosts a 1-0 win. Martin Lasarte's team were superior to Mauricio Pochettino's but they were not convicing in front of goal; perhaps Sociedad's lone striker Raul Tamudo was uncomfortable with the idea of scoring against the club that made him a legend. 

Valencia maintain leader status in La Liga after matchday six thanks to a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at Mestalla. Unai Emery's men took an early lead through Aritz Aduriz and they showed gritty perseverance to hold on to that advantage despite battling a war on two fronts against Athletic's ambition and their own physical exhaustion. Vicente only doubled Valencia's lead in second half stoppage time and it was reduced to the slimmest of margins again two minutes later by a last gasp Igor Gabilondo goal.

Sevilla fans finally had something to cheer about at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Gregorio Manzano took full advantage of the home debut factor to orchestrate a 3-1 win over close rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Alvaro Negredo, Diego Perotti and Fredi Kanoute notched up the goals to send the stadium into raptures and could have had more were it not for Atletico's in-form goalkeeper David de Gea. Quique Sanchez Flores' team did get a consolation goal courtesy of Diego Costa but they were thoroughly well beaten here.

Dani Parejo inspired Getafe to a 3-0 win over giant killers Hercules at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Parejo scored the first goal himself and had a part to play in both of the others as Manu del Moral equalled Roberto Soldado's scoring record and Miku added another late on. Hercules barely showed up.

Villarreal remain the closest rivals to Valencia at the top of the table as they dispatched Racing Santander 2-0 with goals from Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi at the Madrigal. Juan Carlos Garrido's two central strikers are now the out-and-out top scorers in the division having helped their club to five consecutive league wins.

Another controversial first half red card for Eliseu for the second weekend running affected Malaga's chances at the Juegos Mediterraneos but they still went ahead against Juanma Lillo's men thanks to a goal from former Aresenal cadet Quincey Owesu-Abeyie. Kala Uche was once again Lillo's saviour, however, as he struck late on to secure a 1-1 draw for Almeria.

Osasuna thought they had the game won at the Reyno de Navarra when Walter Pandiani scored in the 72nd minute to hand the Pamplonans a lead over Luis Garcia Plaza's struggling Levante side. Former Deportivo La Coruna star Sergio popped up with an equaliser less than ten minutes later, however, to provide the Valencians with an important away point in a 1-1 tie.

Not for the first time this season, Barcelona threw away points at the Camp Nou and this time it was against arguably the worst away side in the division, Real Mallorca. Lionel Messi scored the opener on his return to league action following injury, but poor defending from a corner allowed Spanish under-21 international Emilio Nsue to level things just before half time and poor finishing in the second half prevented Pep Guardiola's side from re-establishing the initiative as former blaugrana hero Michael Laudrup saw his side hold on for a 1-1 finish.

Jose Mourinho answered his critics - I'm just as baffled as he is as to why he still has so many - with a comprehensive 6-1 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna at the Santiago Bernabeu in the final game of matchday six. Real Madrid move back in front of Barcelona with this win, which was by far the most satisfying result of the season for Los Merengues as they finally found their goal scoring touch. Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and a Jose Ze Castro own goal sent the home fans into delirium against a weak Depor team, who are feeling the pressure down at the bottom of the table. Juan Rodriguez's solitary goal was scant consolation for Miguel Angel Lotina.

Matchday 5 - Round-up

Valencia stunned Sporting de Gijon with two early goals at the Molinon on Saturday night from Mehmet Topal and Roberto Soldado. Unai Emery was show-casing his squad depth as he made several changes ahead of the key Champions League clash with Manchester United this week and Los Che had enough in reserve to stifle the listless hosts and hold on for a 0-2 win. The other results on Saturday guaranteed that Valencia would sit top of the table come the end of the weekend.

The most significant being Real Madrid's dour 0-0 draw with Levante at the Ciutat de Valencia. Jose Mourinho's team created countless chances but they could not score in the face of a proud defensive performance from Luis Garcia Plaza's men. Real have the worst goal/chance ratio in the Primera Division by a considerable margin.

Barcelona were giving a helping hand by Mateu Lahoz in a rain-soaked encounter with Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. The referee harshly sent off Fernando Amorebieta in the first half for a sliding tackle and Barca went on to win the tie by a comfortable 1-3 margin thanks to goals from midfield trio Seydou Keita, Xavi Hernandez and Sergi Busquets. There was a slight scare at the end for Pep Guardiola as David Villa was sent off for violent conduct and Igor Gabilondo pulled one back for Athletic but the Basque comeback was destined for failure.

Fast forward to Sunday and Real Mallorca's home credentials continue to impress as Fernando Cavenaghi's brace gave Michael Laudrup's side a 2-0 win over a limp Real Sociedad team who folded all too easily at the Ono Estadi.

Another strong home team, Espanyol, beat Osasuna 1-0 at the Cornella El Prat thanks to a debut goal from Alvaro Vazquez. The 19-year-old striker was playing despite Pablo Osvaldo passing a late fitness test and once again Mauricio Pochettino's gamble on young academy graduates paid off. Jose Antonio Camacho's cause was not helped by a red card to Lolo with less than twenty minutes on the clock.

Deportivo La Coruna and Almeria came together in a clash between the two most disappointing La Liga teams of the season so far. Kala Uche marked his first start of the season with two goals to give the Andalusians a 0-2 win away at the Riazor. Diego Colotto made life difficult for his team mates by getting sent off just before half time with Depor two-nil down. Miguel Angel Lotina is really feeling the pressure with his side stuck in the relegation zone without a win to their name so far in 2010-11.

Getafe went some way to making up for their poor home defeat to Malaga last week with a 0-1 victory over Racing Santander at the Sardinero. Michel made several successful changes including the deployment of Victor Sanchez in midfield and the former Barcelona reserve scored the only goal of the game. Racing, who had Markus Rosenberg dismissed for two bookable offences late on, reverted to the norm by failing to assert themselves at home.

The headline of the weekend was the sacking of Sevilla manager Antonio Alvarez in the immediate aftermath of his side's 2-0 defeat to Hercules at the Jose Rico Perez. David Trezeguet is undergoing a renaissance on the Costa Blanca and he had the dubious honour of hammering the final nail into Alvarez's coffin by scoring both goals to the delight of the giddy home support.

Atletico Madrid managed to hold on to a 1-0 lead over Real Zaragoza at the Vicente Calderon despite the petulant second half dismissal of Jose Antonio Reyes. Diego Costa grabbed the goal that keeps Atletico within three points of leaders Valencia and sentenced Jose Aurelio Gay's team to another week at the very bottom of the league table.

Monday night's fixture between Malaga and Villarreal promised goals and we were not disappointed in the first half at the Rosaleda. Jesualdo Ferreira's team went ahead through Eliseu, then conceded two to Santi Cazorla and Giuseppe Rossi before levelling through Jose Rondon all with less than half an hour played. Eliseu's first half dismissal, however, prejudiced the game in Villarreal's favour and in-form Spanish international Santi Cazorla struck again before half time to make it 2-3, which is how the scoreline remained after ninety minutes.

Matchday 4 - Round-up

Athletic Bilbao's exciting young team put Real Mallorca to the sword with a 3-0 win at San Mames on Tuesday night. The first goal from David Lopez was an accident, the second - from Mikel San Jose of all people - was a penalty, and the third from Inigo Perez did not come until second half stoppage time but, all the same, Athletic's stamp was clearly marked against a woefully inept travelling side who, for all their home bravado, are a shadow of last year's overachieving team.

Osasuna finally kick-started their season with a 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad in a north Spain derby. Jose Antonio Camacho's team had failed to score in their three league matches hitherto but Walter Pandiani, Javier Camunas and Carlos Aranda banged in the goals as if it were second nature to them. The manner of the win was just as satisfactory as the result itself as the Pamplonans had to respond to an early set-back when Raul Tamudo, clearly revitalised in his new surroundings, put Real Sociedad ahead with his third goal in as many games.

Real Madrid found their goal scoring touch again at the Bernabeu on matchday four but it was far from a vintage performance despite a 3-0 final scoreline against Espanyol. Mauricio Pochettino's men were competitive throughout and never looked out of their depth. Real's three recognised strikers all got in on the action as Cristiano Ronaldo (penalty), Gonzalo  Higuain and substitute Karim Benzema were on the mark. Red cards to Pepe, Ernesto Galan and Juan Forlin disrupted the game slightly and it was only when Espanyol were at a numerical disadvantage that they really suffered against Jose Mourinho's megastars.

Lionel Messi was clearly missed by Barcelona, who were not as coherent in attack as they usually are, but David Villa was busy at the Camp Nou in Messi's absence and the Asturian striker eventually managed to finish one of his many chances to give the Catalan giants a 1-0 win over Sporting de Gijon.

Real Zaragoza and Hercules drew 0-0 at the Romareda in matchday four's most emphatic sleep-inducer. Zaragoza had multiple chances to score but their wasteful finishing was costly and is largely responsible for them dropping to the bottom of the league table.

Luis Garcia Plaza finally had something to smile about on Wednesday as his Levante team beat a woeful Almeria side 0-1 away at the Juegos Mediterraneos. Former Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Sergio scored the only goal to give the Valencia-based club their first points of the season. 

Valencia's 100% record in the league came to an end at Mestalla in a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid. Quique Sanchez Flores' team took an early lead as Simao finished a wonderful counter-attacking move but Valencia cranked up the pressure in the second half and Aritz Aduriz was on target as that pressure eventually told. 

Nilmar shot to the top of the Pichichi charts on Thursday as he inspired an improving Villarreal to a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna with the only goal at the Madrigal. Things have gone well for Juan Carlos Garrido's team since their opening day defeat to Real Sociedad and they now move above Barcelona into 3rd.

Malaga's counter-attacking strength paid dividends for them again on Thursday as they stunned Getafe with two goals in six second half minutes at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez to win 0-2. Jose Rondon and Antonio Apono were the goal-scoring beneficiaries as Malaga's raw pace proved decisive. Both sides finished with ten men as Rafa Lopez and Jesus Gamez saw red for two bookable offences.

Jose Maria Del Nido is not an easy man to please at the best of times but the Sevilla president let his feelings be known after his club were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Racing Santander. Sevilla took the lead courtesy of an Alvaro Negredo penalty by were pegged back by a rare Pablo Pinillos goal. Del Nido criticised the players for their performance and hinted at coach Antonio Alvarez's culpability for the Andalusian's poor home displays. Sevilla are 5th in the table but have, quite inexplicably, failed to win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan so far.

Matchday 3 - Round-up

La Liga's answer to Jekyll and Hyde came up trumps again this weekend as Real Mallorca subjected Osasuna to a 2-0 defeat at the Ono Estadi. Impressively solid at home but frequently the worst performers on the road, Mallorca were always comfortable in this tie although Jonathan de Guzman waited until second half stoppage time to secure the victory by doubling the advantage that Chori Castro had chalked up from the penalty spot earlier on. Jose Antonio Camacho's timid team have failed to score in their first three league matches in 2010-11, which is obviously a serious cause for concern.

While that game was going on in the Balearics, Espanyol were in control back on the mainland as they made it two out of two at the Cornella El Prat with a 1-0 win over Almeria. Jose Callejon's fine volley at the start of the second half was enough to separate the teams in a quiet match in which both goalkeepers were relatively untroubled.

The same cannot be said for Sporting de Gijon's meet with Athletic Bilbao at the Molinon. A 2-2 draw in Asturias extended a 19-year winless run for Sporting against their Basque neigbours. Manuel Preciado's side took an early two-goal lead through Miguel de las Cuevas and Gaston Sangoy, thanks in part to some suspect goalkeeping from Gorka Iraizoz, but Athletic re-grouped and came back with goals from Markel Susaeta and Fernando Llorente and could have even won the tie late on.

A draw was the least that Real Sociedad deserved against Real Madrid at Anoeta after comprehensively outplaying Jose Mourinho's men. Unfortunately for Martin Lasarte and his players, they eventually fell to a 1-2 defeat. A fine Angel Di Maria strike gave Real Madrid a lead against the run of play and, despite initially getting back into it through Raul Tamudo, Sociedad were finally undone by a deflected Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick. It was a worrying performance by Los Merengues but Lasarte will have been encouraged by his team's display, expecially the contribution of their French teenage prodigy Antoine Griezmann.

Levante gave their most assured performance of the season so far but still came off second best at the Ciutat de Valencia. The 1-2 home defeat to Villarreal leaves Luis Garcia Plaza's bottom of the table and they remain the only club without a point to their name in the top flight. Two first half strikes from Brazilian international Nilmar decided the tie but at least there was some consolation at the end as Manchester City loan signing Felipe Caicedo grabbed a goal for his new side.

Racing Santander finally ended their hoodoo at the Campos de Sport del Sardinero with a 2-0 win over Real Zaragoza. Henrique and Ariel Nahuelpan scored the late deciders but it was a fortuitous win as Jose Aurelio Gay's side were disallowed a perfectly legal goal from Gabi with the game tied at 0-0.

Valencia are the only team with a 100% record after matchday three thanks to a 1-2 derby win over giant-killers Hercules. Young wingers Juan Mata and Pablo Hernandez scored for the visitors before David Trezeguet notched up his first goal for Hercules from the penalty spot. Unai Emery's team have silenced the critics having come out strongly after a difficult pre-season and their reward is top spot in the league standings at this early stage.

Barcelona ran out 1-2 victors against Atletico Madrid in the most eagerly anticipated tie of the weekend. World-beater Lionel Messi made all the headlines on Monday morning as he opened the scoring and was later the victim of a deliberate stamp by Tomas Ujfalusi, which saw the Argentinean star stretchered off the pitch and resulted in a straight red card for the Czech offender. Raul Garcia gave Atletico some hope when he headed in an equaliser to send the Vicente Calderon into raptures but the euphoria was eventually replaced by the grim acceptance of a defeat to a superior team after Gerard Pique restored Barcelona's lead.

Sevilla forgot their troubles at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night as they took three points away from the derby clash with Malaga courtesy of a 1-2 win at the Rosaleda. An early Jose Rondon strike increased the pressure on Antonio Alvarez, whose managerial position was probably hanging by a thread at that stage, but his team rallied and goals from Alejandro Alfaro and Martin Caceres turned the tie on its head. Alvarez survives to fight another day.

Matchday 3 concluded with a 2-2 draw between Deportivo La Coruna and Getafe at the Riazor on Monday night. It was an open game but both sides were quite wasteful with their chances in Galicia. A Diego Colotto own-goal gave the visitors the initiative before Mexican play-maker Jose Andres Guardado scored two penalties for Depor. Javier Arizmendi restored parity later on with his second goal of the season.

Matchday 2 - Round-up

Matchday two threw up what could turn out to be the shock result of the entire season as Hercules gunned down Barcelona 0-2 at the Camp Nou thanks to a brace from debutant Nelson Valdez. Pep Guardiola's team could not find a way past Juan Calatayud despite dominating possession and, at the other end, Victor Valdez was beaten twice by opportunistic strikes.

Barcelona's misfortune is Real Madrid's gain and Jose Mourinho was smiling again as his side comfortably beat Osasuna 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu; Mourinho's old pal Ricardo Carvalho was the unlikely match winner. The home side were in complete control of the game and only Gonzalo Higuain's profligate finishing denied the Madrilenos a more emphatic scoreline.

Valencia made it two out of two so far this term with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Racing Santander at Mestalla. Unai Emery had goalkeeper Cesar to thank for the fact that his side were not behind at half time as Miguel Angel Portugal's side took the game to Valencia. Los Che went ahead through a Hedwiges Maduro strike two minutes into first half stoppage time when only one minute had been signaled.The hosts were much better in the second half but, while they wasted their own opportunities to increase the advantage, they still had Cesar to thank for the clean sheet.

Atletico Madrid continue to file evidence that they will be a much more formidable force in La Liga this year. Quique Sanchez Flores' side got the better of Athletic Bilbao at San Mames in a scintillating 1-2 win. Diego Forlan and Tiago notched up Atleti's advantage before Fernando Llorente's late goal reduced the deficit to ensure a tense final few minutes. Atletico are early leaders in the championship race and look impressive but their victory here was dampened slightly by a knee injury to Kun Aguero.

Despite a whole host of injury problems, Malaga went to Real Zaragoza's Romareda and blew Jose Aurelio Gay's side apart in the first half. Jesualdo Ferreira's team were five nil up after just over half an hour and that was a big enough deficit to yield in order to prevent the fightback in a match which eventually finished 3-5. Braces for Fernando and Juanmi and a goal by Quincy did the trick for a very effective Malaga before Edmilson, Marco Perez and then Ander Herrera eventually hit back for the Aragonese club.

Levante's misery continued at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez where they were beaten 4-1 by Getafe, who tend to be very strong at home. Michel's men did not have to be at their best, however, to crush the Valencians, who look far too error-prone at the moment to survive in this division. Early goals from Jamie Gavilan and Adrian Colunga and late ones from Gavilan again and Javier Arizmendi sealed the victory; Rafa Jorda was on the scoresheet for now bottom of the table Levante.

It looks like Real Mallorca's away day misery is set to continue under Michael Laudrup as the Balearic side were beaten 2-0 by an Alberto Botia-inspired Sporting de Gijon. Botia was magnificent in defence and scored the opener at the Molinon. A Diego Castro penalty confirmed the result five minutes from the end to lift Manuel Preciado's side off the bottom of the league standings.

Espanyol came out flying at the Madrigal on Sunday but could not sustain that rhythm and were eventually pummelled 4-0 by a much improved Villarreal side. It eventually all came together for Juan Carlos Garrido's team, which is still brimming with quality despite a summer spring clean. Giuseppe Rossi, 2, Borja Valero and Nilmar were all in on the goal action. Unfortunately, Itturalde Gonzalez tried to ruin the day by wrongly awarding a penalty and dishing out eleven yellow cards and one red to Javier Chica.

The final match on Sunday finished 0-0 between Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruna at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Sevilla were trying to make amends for the Champions League debacle here in August but they could not finish any of their many chances as Manu shone in the Depor goal.

Real Sociedad were unfortunate to come away from the Juegos Mediterraneos with just a point in their 2-2 draw with Almeria on Monday. Martin Lasarte's team went ahead twice, first through Raul Tamudo, who was standing in for the injured Joseba Llorente, and then courtesy of a goal from Paco Sutil, but a suspiciously offside-looking initial leveller from Pablo Piatti and then a last gasp wonder goal from Jose Ulloa ensured that the points were shared.