Real Valladolid 0 - 3 Barcelona(0-1) 20' Xavi, (0-2) 22' Dani Alves, (0-3) 54' Messi
Barcelona reached the halfway point of the season unbeaten with yet another sublime performance which saw them reach 23 goals away from home. A breathtaking break saw Xavi put them infront before a cross-come-shot from Alves put them further ahead two minutes later. Leo Messi had never scored against Real Valladolid before today, so he decided to put that right when he smashed in following some good work from Ibrahimovic in the area. 15 league goals puts the Rosario-born genius in pole position for the Pichichi. Real Valladolid certainly made Victor Valdes work hard, with the keeper doing his best to keep his name in Del Bosques mind as the World Cup creeps ever closer. You have to wonder what Valdes has got to do to get a look-in. 8 points now separate Barca from Real Madrid, who will be under pressure to get what looks on paper like a guaranteed three points against Málaga in the Bernabeu.
READ ON FOR REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF TONIGHTS MATCHES
Sevilla 1 - 0 Almería(1-0) 9' Negredo
It was far from convincing from Sevilla, but following a rout at Depor, they've now put an end to a run of four league defeats on the bounce, by getting back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Almería in the Sanchez Pizjuan. Alvaro Negredo got the early goal after a backpass from Acasiete got bogged down in a puddle which allowed Renato to reach the ball before the keeper, who squared it to Negredo who was left with a simple tap-in. Sevilla showed that they still havnt found their feet after what has been a dreadful start to 2010 in the league, and there were jeers from the crowd as only Navas and Perotti showed any sort of ambition after the goal. Struggling Almería outplayed their hosts, with Corona and Crusat tormenting the Sevilla full-backs (Stankevicius is looking like a dreadful buy), but it wasn't enough to stop manager Juanma Lillo falling to his first defeat. Manolo Jimenez will be feeling the heat, even with this win, as he consistently fails to get his team playing with the same verve and swagger of one or two years ago.
Deportivo La Coruña 3 - 1 Athletic Bilbao
(1-0) 49' Filipe, (2-0) 59' Juca, (2-1) 79' Colotto (o.g), (3-1) 89' Pablo Álvarez
A match marked by a horrifying ankle injury to talented full-back Luis Filipe as he clashed with Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraizoz when putting Depor infront. It seemed innocuous enough, and many thought the goal had been disallowed for offside as the Deportivo players put their hands on their heads. Yet it quickly became clear that Filipe was in a bad way and the Brazilian was quickly rushed to hospital. The home team put the shock behind them quickly as they made it 2-0 with a fortunate deflection. Colotto made a horrendous error to give Athletic hope, but a delightful Valeron assist allowed Pablo Álvarez to make the points safe in the fight for the fourth Champions League spot. Bilbao dominated the first half, with two goals disallowed, but their intensity disappeared after the break as Coruña took the chances that came their way to shoot up to fourth in La Liga.
