Barcelona clinch record 12th win in a row
League leaders Barcelona romped to a club record 12th successive victory in all competitions with a comfortable 3-1 win over struggling Cadiz.
Even the absence of World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, who was suffering from flu, couldn't hinder the progress of the reigning Spanish champions, who now have 37 points from 16 games after nine consecutive La Liga wins.
Cadiz had three clear cut chances in the opening half hour but were made to regret their failure to finish after 31 minutes when Ludovic Giuly opened the scoring for the visitors.
The French winger connected from close range with a neat pass from Andres Iniesta and Barca never looked back.
Samuel Eto'o put the Catalan club further ahead from the spot two minutes into injury time at the end of the first half.
Barca were awarded a questionable penalty, despite protests from the Cadiz players and fans alike, after an apparent dive by Rafa Marquez.
Eto'o then wasted little time in getting his 15th goal of the season barely three minutes after the break.
Barcelona could have added several more late in the game with second half substitute Henrik Larsson having two good opportunities.
However, the agility of Cadiz keeper Armando Riveiro de Aguilar saved the hosts from more suffering and Nenad Mirosavijevic got a consolation for Cadiz a minute into injury time.
Deportivo La Coruna ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in local derby at Celta Vigo, with all the goals coming in the first half.
The victory takes Deportivo up to third ahead of Sunday's games.
Diego Tristan got Deportivo's first from the penalty spot after 26 minutes, following a rash challenge by Celta goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto on Pedro Munitis.
Pinto was also sent off and Celta never recovered from being reduced to 10 men.
Juan Carlos Valeron fired home an angled shot two minutes before the break and shortly afterwards Joan Capdevila added Deportivo's third with a left foot lob from 25 metres.
Tristan could have got a second goal from the spot after 66 minutes in the second half, after Munitis was felled with a flying double-footed tackle by Matias Lequi, but he sent his penalty wide.
Athletic Bilbao continued their revival under new coach and local icon Javier Clemente when they beat bottom club Real Betis 2-0.
Beating Betis means that Athletic, who themselves were at the foot of the first division six weeks ago when Clemente took over, have now gone four games without defeat to improve their chances of survival.
Athletic, along with Barcelona and Real Madrid, are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the top flight of Spanish football.
Ismael Urzaiz opened the scoring after 21 minutes, the former Spanish international striker heading home from the edge of the six yard box.
Seven minutes later, Athletic's 19 year-old midfielder Mikel Danobeitia, who was starting just his second first team game, got a debut goal to remember with a spectacular right foot effort from 20 metres.
Betis had to play the last 10 minutes with 10 men after Oscar Lopez was dismissed for a dangerous challenge on Tiko Martinez.
Second-placed Osasuna visit Real Madrid, who started the weekend in third, on Sunday.
It will be the first game in Real's Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the Spanish giant's new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, who took over at the helm two weeks ago after the sacking of Wanderley Luxemburgo.
"I'm not nervous about my debut in the Bernabeu," said Lopez Caro.
"I'm relaxed and just hoping that we put forward a good image of ourselves. We've done some good things recently and are capable of giving our supporters some enjoyment."
The big question for Lopez Caro to resolve is whether Zinedine Zidane should start, the three-times World Player of the Year finally being passed fit after struggling all week to overcome an ankle injury sustained last week at Malaga.