Primera Liga reports

Brief reports of Primera Liga matches played on Sunday:

ALBACETE 0 CELTA VIGO 2

Celta received a major boost to their hopes of survival with their first win in nine matches, but defeat for Albacete means that they have now been dragged down into the relegation dogfight.

Defender Juanfran put Celta ahead when he flicked a header into the far corner after a free kick on 21 minutes and midfielder Gustavo Lopez made sure of the win when he poked in from close range after good work by Juan Velasco at the start of the second half.

Celta defender Silvinho was sent off in injury time but his dismissal did little to tarnish what was a vital victory.

BARCELONA 3 MALAGA 0

Barcelona stretched their unbeaten run to 15 matches and moved up one place to third with a classy win at the Nou Camp.

Argentine striker Javier Saviola opened the scoring when he guided in at the near post in the 19th minute after a superb pass from Luis Garcia and then returned the favour for the winger to notch the second five minutes later.

Dutch midfielder Philip Cocu rattled in a third 11 minutes before the break, while Ronaldinho gave yet another virtuoso performance with his masterful orchestration of the attack.

MURCIA 0 REAL BETIS 1

Defeat condemned Murcia to a return to the second division after just one season in the top flight.

Betis midfielder Marcos Assuncao scored the only goal of the game. The Brazilian showed why he is the most feared free-kick specialist in the Primera Liga when he fired an unstoppable 22-metre curler over the wall and into the far corner in the third minute.

OSASUNA 1 ESPANYOL 3

Like fellow strugglers Celta, Espanyol kept alive their hopes of survival with an important away win.

Diminutive striker Raul Tamudo opened for Espanyol when he snapped home a loose ball after Osasuna keeper Ricardo Sanzol had spilled a Maxi Rodriguez shot just before the break.

Midfielder Pablo Garcia equalised for Osasuna with a powerful 20-metre drive a minute after the break, but the visitors made sure of the points when an Alex Fernandez cross bobbled across the area and ended up in the net and Rodriguez drilled in low at the near post 18 minutes from time.

REAL MALLORCA 1 VILLARREAL 2

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o missed an injury-time penalty that condemned Mallorca to a costly defeat and left them just two points above the relegation zone.

Defender Quique Alvarez gave Villarreal the lead when he got his foot to a Marcos Senna free kick, but the islanders were back on level terms before the break thanks to an Eto'o penalty given after the referee adjudged that Alvarez had handled the ball in the area.

Midfielder Pedro Marti put Villarreal in front again in the 79th minute when he collected the ball after a rebound from a Victor shot, but Mallorca spurned a last chance to salvage a point when he saw his spot kick saved by keeper Pepe Reina.

SEVILLA 5 RACING SANTANDER 2

Brazilian striker Julio Baptista was the star of the show as he grabbed four of his side's five goals to give a magnificent display of his ruthless finishing power.

Baptista helped himself to two well-taken headed goals in the opening seven minutes, added a third early in the second half when he diverted an Antonio Lopez cross into the net and notched up his fourth from the penalty spot before the hour was up.

Racing pulled back two goals late in the second half, striker Javi Guerrero netting from the penalty spot and midfielder Sergio Matabuena powering in a header five minutes from time.

But there was still time for Sevilla to complete an emphatic win when substitute Federico Magallanes scored with an unstoppable rocket shot from the edge of the area in injury time.

VALENCIA 2 REAL SOCIEDAD 2

Trailing 2-0 to the visitors midway through the second half, Valencia drew on all their reserves of strength to claw their way back into the match and clinch the draw that allowed them to return to the top ahead of Real Madrid.

Midfielder Xabi Alonso put Sociedad ahead out of the blue with a swirling 20-metre shot and four minutes later Valery Karpin added another goal from the penalty spot after defender Roberto Ayala was harshly adjudged to have brought down striker Oscar de Paula.

But Rafa Benitez's men pulled one back four minutes later when Vicente drilled in after a fine cross from Miguel Angel Angulo and they got their reward for their continued pressure when Mista hammered in an injury-time equaliser.

ATHLETIC BILBAO 4 REAL ZARAGOZA 0

Bilbao took an important step towards booking their place in next season's UEFA Cup with victory over Cup winners Zaragoza.

Winger Joseba Etxeberria put Bilbao ahead 11 minutes before the break with an acrobatic overhead kick and defender Asier del Horno extended their lead with a spectacular 20-metre drive 12 minutes after halftime.

Zaragoza lost both their centre backs within the next seven minutes as Gabriel Milito was dismissed for use of the elbow and Alvaro followed him down the tunnel for a reckless challenge on Santi Ezquerro.

Bilbao made the most of their numerical advantage when midfielder Francisco Yeste grabbed a well-taken double in the final 13 minutes to make it 4-0.

ATLETICO MADRID 1 REAL MADRID 2

Champions Real renewed their bid to retain their title with an aggressive win over city rivals Atletico.

Real got off to the perfect start when former Atletico player Santiago Solari drilled home after just five minutes following some lax defending from his old team mates.

But Atletico equalised at the start of the second half when Veljko Paunovic scored from the penalty spot after substitute Demis Nikolaidis was brought down by defender Francisco Pavon.

The centre-back was sent off for the foul and Atletico looked as though they might take advantage but it was Real who snatched the victory when midfielder Ivan Helguera headed in after a corner 13 minutes from time, although keeper Sergio Aragoneses appeared to have been fouled by Raul.

DEPORTIVO CORUNA 1 VALLADOLID 1

Deportivo effectively waved goodbye to their title hopes with a home draw against Valladolid, who stayed clear of trouble with a valuable away point.

Depor coach Javier Irureta rested several first-choice players ahead of next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Porto and paid the price as the visitors dominated the match.

Leading scorer Oscar gave Valladolid a deserved lead on the stroke of halftime when he slotted home after a well-worked counter-attack but Depor equalised early in the second half with a Djalminha penalty after the Brazilian was bundled over.