Real stay top after Alaves and Deportivo slip up
Former leaders Deportivo Coruna and Alaves failed to take their opportunities to dislodge Real Madrid from the top of the Spanish first division table on Sunday.
Former leaders Deportivo Coruna and Alaves failed to take their opportunities to dislodge Real Madrid from the top of the Spanish first division table on Sunday.
Alaves were dealt a rare home defeat by a combative Sevilla who grabbed victory thanks to a 84th-minute strike from Francisco Casquero, while Deportivo could only manage a 1-1 draw at Malaga.
Barcelona, reduced to 10 men after the 44th-minute dismissal of Xavi, closed the gap on the leaders after they weathered a second-half storm to secure a 1-0 win against Villarreal.
Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert claimed the only goal of the match after he beat the offside trap and squeezed the ball past keeper Javier Lopez Vallejo into the far corner in the 39th minute.
The win enabled Barca to move up a place to seventh in the table, four points behind leaders Real Madrid who won 3-1 at home to Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Real Betis went second, level on 31 points with Real Madrid, after a Joao Tomas penalty on the stroke of halftime gave them a narrow 1-0 win at home to Real Mallorca.
Alaves dropped to third on 30 points after their defeat in a bad-tempered encounter at the Mendizorroza stadium.
The turning point came when Alaves defender Oscar Tellez was dismissed for use of the elbow midway through the second half.
Sevilla took full advantage to pin the Basque side back in their own half and snatched the winner six minutes from time with a deflected shot from Casquero.
Deportivo slipped to fourth after their draw at Malaga, secured after Nourredine Naybet's 80th-minute goal cancelled out Dario Silva's scorching 32nd-minute opener for the home side.
The battle for the top slots is increasingly tight with just four points separating the first eight sides.
At Villarreal's Madrigal stadium, chances were few and far between in the first quarter as the two sides sized each other up.
It was not until the 23rd minute that Barcelona midfielder Xavi tried his luck from 20 metres out, but his drive swept a metre over the bar.
The game began to open up as the half wore on and Javier Saviola went close after good work by strike partner Patrick Kluivert, but the young Argentine was not able to get enough power on his header.
Six minutes later Kluivert gave Barca the lead as he latched on to Xavi's perfect floated pass before clipping home.
Xavi turned villain five minutes later when he left his side with just 10 men after he was sent off for remarks made to the referee.
Barca began the second half nervously and Villarreal were only denied an equaliser when a diving Bonano turned Constantin Galca's 20-metre shot wide of the post.
A minute later, Rodolfo Arruabuena missed a gilt-edged chance for the home side when he saw his shot squirm wide of an open goal after a fine pass from Gica Craioveano.
It was one-way traffic from then on as Villarreal pinned Barca back in their own half.
Victor unleashed a dipping drive which thundered against the underside of the bar, bounced on the line and back into play.
Victor Munoz's side continued to lay siege to the Barca goal, but just could not get the ball in the net.