Real Madrid back on top, Deportivo put six past Alaves

Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Valladolid on Saturday sent the European and world club champions to the top of the Spanish first division, at least until Real Sociedad play later today.

Madrid have 45 points from 23 games, a one-point advantage over long-time league leaders Real Sociedad and a far superior goal difference, but the Basques have a game in hand and play host to Osasuna on Sunday.

The victory also extended Madrid's unbeaten home streak in their Santiago Bernabeu stadium to 46 games, although they still have a long way to go to match their own Spanish first division record of 121 matches between 1957 and 1960.

Nevertheless, Madrid struggled for long periods to contain Valladolid.

"It was one of the worst games I have seen the team play since I took over as the coach," said Real coach Vicente Del Bosque.

"We put in a lot of effort but I didn't enjoy the game. We lost control too often. The one good thing that came out of the game was that we got three points."

Real got a nasty shock after just nine minutes when Valladolid's Fernado Sales headed the visitors in front but the hosts quickly recovered their composure and scored twice in four minutes.

Roberto Carlos equalised for Real after 18 minutes with one of his trademark thunderbolt free-kicks from the edge of the area, the low shot finding its way through a wall of defenders and through the legs of former Real goalkeeper Albano Bizarri.

Ronaldo then put Real in front three minutes later, the World Player of the Year finding the net with a left-foot shot, also from the edge of the area, after a long-range pass from Jose Maria 'Guti' Gutierrez left the Valladolid defence stranded too far forward.

Guti, and Esteban Cambiasso, were starting in the midfield after Real coach decided to rest Zinedine Zidane and Flavio Conceicao.

Despite getting their noses in front, Real missed the magic of Zidane in the centre of the field and rarely looked likely to end the game as a contest.

Del Bosque said that he thought the absence of Zidane and the suspended Luis Figo could have been one of the key factor why Real struggled.

"You always look for reasons why a team played badly, just as you do when they play well," commented Del Bosque.

Fernando Sales and Gonzalo Colsa were a constant threat for Valladolid in and around the Real area and were unlucky not to find the net a second time.

Real's third goal, which gave the scoreline a slightly distorted look, came a minute into injury time thanks to second-half substitute Javier Portillo.

Portillo had only been on the pitch four minutes but found the Valladolid defenders waiting for the whistle and took full advantage of their loss of concentration.

Real's difficult day was compounded by English midfielder Steve McManaman limping off after an hour with an injured calf.

McManaman was starting only his third league game of the season, in place of Figo.

Fourth-placed Deportivo La Coruna kept up the pressure on the top trio with a 6-0 thrashing of Alaves, the biggest win of the season in the Spanish first division and Deportivo's biggest victory since their return to the top-flight in 1992.

Spanish international Diego Tristan bounced back after a week's suspension with a hat-trick, starting in the 15th minute with a shot that was helped into the net by Alaves goalkeeper Richard Dutruel.

Dutruel had a wretched night, the second time that Alaves have conceded six goals this season after losing 6-1 at Barcelona earlier in this campaign, and Tristan scored again after 20 minutes and on the hour.

The division's leading scorer Roy Makaay took his tally up to 18 with goals in the 34th and 52nd minutes and it was left up to Albert Luque to finish off the demolition act.

Luque found the net with his first touch of the ball on 62 minutes after replacing Tristan just a few seconds before.

Barcelona continued their revival under new coach Radomir Antic with an emphatic 4-0 win over Real Betis.

Javier Saviola got the first goal of his hat trick in the first minute and added further strikes after 42 and 52 minutes.

The Catalan's Dutch midfielder Philip Cocu got Barca's other goal after five minutes, his third goal in as many games.