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Match round-up - First Division, Day 9

Two games on Monday night this week, with Athletic Bilbao moving back up to fifth after a 2-0 victory over the team now immediately above them in the table, Villarreal. The Basque side started strongly, Aduríz and Mikel Rico both going close before Rico flung himself forward to head the opener past Asenjo from Iraola's cross with just over half an hour gone. Two minutes later Aduríz made it two after Musacchio failed to clear a long punt out of defence, and with the first half coming to a close the visitors lost their captain Bruno to a rigorous second yellow card. After the restart De Marcos had a goal disallowed for offside, and Susaeta came close to a third goal on a couple of occasions. Villarreal did finally wake up in the final minutes with Giovani and Trigueros bringing good saves out of Iraizoz, but there was little time left for them to change the result.

Earlier in the evening Levante beat Celta 0-1, a result which takes the Valencia based side up to ninth after a run of four away games without defeat. A heavy rainstorm in Vigo made play difficult, but the locals adapted better to the conditions, Krohn-Dehli, Charles and Santi Mina all testing Keylor Navas, and Nolito and Mina firing shots wide. The storm caused a twenty minute power cut at the start of the second half, but when play resumed the home side continued to dominate, Nolito going close with a free kick and Mina, Charles and Orellana all wasting chances. Up to that point Yoel had only had to make a couple of relatively comfortable saves, but with two minutes to go Juanfran's free kick ballooned off the defensive wall, and Diop struck a first time volley past the keeper to steal away the three points. Celta ended the weekend in next to bottom spot after a fourth defeat in a row, and coach Luis Enrique is already under pressure to turn things around. (21.10.13)

Getafe are up to fifth in the table after a 0-2 victory at Granada on Sunday lunchtime, a fourth win in a row setting a new club record at this level. The locals were left with ten men when Diakhaté got himself sent off for a second bookable offence on the half hour mark, and a couple of minutes after the break Murillo turned a Pedro León cross in to his own net to give the visitors the lead. Sarabia tested Roberto soon afterwards, but in the same play Pedro León picked up the ball outside of the area and fired a low shot past the keeper for his team's second. Ciprian had a strike disallowed after that for a borderline offside, and with the game coming to an end Colunga came close to a third when Roberto pushed his shot on to the crossbar. Iturra could have got one back in injury time when he broke free only to shoot wide, but by then the game was more than over.

City neighbours Betis and Sevilla both faltered this weekend though prior to their Europa League commitments, the former losing 1-2 at home to Elche. Pepe Mel's side felt they could have had a couple of penalties during a period of early pressure, but they found themselves two down with just over half an hour gone, Manu del Moral getting between his markers to head in Cisma's cross, and Fidel firing home the second after Coro set him up on a quick breakaway. Manu Herrera had to keep out Juan Carlos a few minutes later though, and with the first half coming to a close Jorge Molina headed one back from Salva Sevilla's wide free kick, the referee waving away claims for offside. Two minutes in to the second half the visitors were left with ten men when Cisma picked up a second booking, but Herrera kept out Molina and company after that, and Mantecón could have extended the lead had Sara not stood his ground late on. It was Elche's third win in a row, and they move up in to the top half of the table, now four points above their hosts in the rankings.

Sevilla themselves actually went two up at Valladolid, but goals in the last ten minutes by Manucho and Ebert pegged them back to 2-2. Bacca put Unai Emery's side in front in only the second minute, poking a shot past Diego Mariño after Vitolo played the ball back to him. The Colombian striker went close again a few minutes later, and on the half hour mark Alberto Moreno made it two with a low shot inside the post after a corner was only partly cleared. Diogo, Cala and Bacca could all have added to the lead either side of half time, but with three early substitutes on the park the locals improved, Manucho heading wide following a corner before beating Beto with another header from Peña's cross. Gameiro wasted a chance to restore the two goal cushion at the other end, but almost immediately Ebert curled a free kick wide of the visiting keeper to equalize. It was a vital draw for Juan Ignacio Martínez's side, who had momentarily dropped in to the bottom three after the previous results this weekend had gone against them.

Earlier in the afternoon Rayo Vallecano had jumped above Valladolid after a 0-1 victory at bottom club Almeria. The locals are still looking for their first win since being promoted, and although Suso brought a good save out of Rubén early on, the rest of the first half belonged to the visitors, with Esteban having to be at his best to keep out Viera, Nery and Lass. Rubén did have to push a Rodri header over the bar shortly before the break, but Iago Falqúe came close to the opener when Esteban got enough on his shot to deflect it on to the post. The pace slowed after the interval, and Rayo were left a man down when Saúl Ñíguez picked up a second booking, the young defender having to be coaxed off the pitch after protesting that he didn't know that he had already been shown a yellow card by Delgado Ferreiro. However a few minutes later Gálvez got what proved to be the winner with a long free kick, leaving local coach Francisco facing a grim future. (20.10.13)

Barcelona dropped their first points of the season after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Osasuna on Saturday, although they remain at the top of the table after Atlético Madrid lost later in the evening. With an important Champions League game coming up in Milan, Tata Martino rested several key players, and Messi started on the bench following his recent hamstring injury. Team captain Puyol was in the line-up for the first time in over seven months though after a double knee operation, and with nine home-grown players the visitors dominated the first half. However Andrés and his packed defence left little option for their opponents, and the keeper hardly had a save to make as Fàbregas, Pedro and Bartra all failed to covert chances. At the other end Valdés was just another spectator, his only intervention a save from a long shot by Roberto Torres before the break, and although Fàbregas did get through a couple of times after the restart, he lobbed the first shot at the keeper and fired the second way over the crossbar. Messi eventually came on, but even he could find no way through, and the Pamplona based side held on for a valuable point which takes them out of the bottom three. It was the first time that Barça had failed to score in the league since January 2011, but the draw was at least enough to keep them at the top of the pack.

Atlético Madrid started their match at Espanyol later in the evening knowing that a victory would take them above Tata Martino's team in the table, but they too saw their eight game winning run come to an end after they lost 1-0 to Barcelona's city neighbours. Pizzi and Koke traded chances early on, but otherwise the visitors had the better of the first half, Koke hitting the outside of the post from a wide angle, and Diego Costa holding off a couple of defenders on a long run only to shoot just wide. Soon after the restart Courtois made a couple of good saves from Lanzarote, but a a minute or so later he was unlucky to score in his own net, Sergio García unable to connect with a Fuentes cross but the ball hitting the keeper on the foot as he sat on the ground and bouncing back in to the goal. After that Mario Suárez had a headed goal ruled out for a clear offside, and Costa and Cristian Rodríguez both fired shots just wide of the target. A first loss for Simeone's side though, and the victory takes Espanyol up to fifth in the table pending Sunday's fixtures.

All of that meant that Real Madrid's best ever run of nine wins in a row still stands, and Madrid were the big victors of the day after they beat Málaga 2-0 to close the gap on the two leaders. Ancelotti's side dominated the match, with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the bar and Morata having a headed goal ruled out for offside in the opening minutes. Willy Caballero kept out Ronaldo and Morata later in the first half, and Málaga's only reply was a long shot wide by Eliseu shortly before the break. A minute in to the second half Caballero was beaten by a long cross from Di María which bounced past him in to the net, but after that the visiting keeper made a string of top class saves from Isco, Ronaldo, Jesé and Marcelo to keep his team in the match. Ronaldo and Khedira also had strikes disallowed for offside, but with the game in injury time substitute Bale was bundled over in the area by Weligton, and Ronaldo stepped up to finish things off. Next up Juventus in the Champions League, but on Saturday Madrid visit the Nou Camp, and after today's results a win there could see them level with their arch-rivals in the table.

Real Sociedad also have an important Champions League tie against Manchester United on Wednesday, and they gave themselves an unexpected boost prior to that visit to Old Trafford thanks to a 1-2 victory at Valencia. The Basque side had not won since the opening match of the season, but they had beaten their hosts twice in the Mestalla stadium recently, and Griezmann came close to putting them ahead with a long free kick in the opening minutes. Jonas had a headed goal disallowed at the other end though without too much reason, and Bravo had to be at his best to keep out Pabón and Banega later in the first half. Postiga and Carlos Martínez both had penalty appeals turned down after that, and shortly before half time Griezmann gave the visitors the lead after Zurutuza headed on a De la Bella free kick. Either side of half time Agirretxe also failed to convert a couple of chances, but soon afterwards Rubén Pardo picked up Vela's short pass and fired a low shot past Guaita to make it two. The Ches replied with a couple of efforts by Mathieu and Pabón, but Pabón's injury time strike came too late to change the result. (19.10.13)