Espanyol matched city-neighbours Barca's feat by beating rivals Atletico Madrid

It was easy to get absorbed in the hype over El Clasico, but there were nine other games featured in this weekend of matches as well, including a surprise defeat for Valencia.

REAL BETIS 2-1 VALENCIA

Another uninspiring performance from Valencia ended up in a shock defeat, as Betis ended their miserable run of form with a much needed victory. Failure to win would have seen them languishing in the bottom three, a far fall from grace from those halcyon days in which they topped the table after four games.

Valencia looked to have somehow done just about enough to steal all three points for a long time, as Jose Antonio Dorado’s own goal saw Los Che in front at the end of the scheduled 90 minutes.

But stoppage time saw an entirely different result formalise, as Ruben Castro struck twice to give Los Verdiblancos a surprise three points.

LEVANTE 1-0 SEVILLA

Levante simply just won’t go away. Whilst their shock reign at the summit proved short-lived, their predicted slide back down the table hasn’t materialised, with back-to-back victories putting them back to within a point of third placed Valencia and five points ahead of this weekend’s vanquished foes, Sevilla.

One goal was enough to decide this tussle, with Nano hitting the winner after 57 minutes to keep the Levante fairytale alive and kicking.

ESPANYOL 4-2 ATLETICO MADRID

This game stole the excitement in terms of goals, but not as a contest, as the Mr Hyde version of Atletico came to play in Catalunya. The two sides, eclipsed by their own city rivals in action the previous day, were not as evenly matched, with Espanyol ending the match as a contest after 20 minutes, with Joan Verdu hitting twice and Christian Romaric scoring to put Espanyol 3-0 up early on.

Radamel Falcao pulled one back before half-time, but the three-goal advantage was quickly restored after the break as Sergio Garcia put the result out of reach. Arda Turan netted a further consolation late on, but this result will not have gone down too well with those critical of Gregorio Manzano’s reign in Madrid.

MALAGA 1-1 OSASUNA

Another team whose impressive first half of the campaign has yet to fall away is Osasuna. A point at La Rosaleda ensured that they remain within touching distance of sixth-placed Malaga, only two points behind their far wealthier rivals.

Ibrahima Balde had given them hope of achieving even more as he put the visitors in front after half an hour, but there was to be no massive surprise, as Juanmi ensured Malaga escaped the contest with their dignity just about intact.

VILLARREAL 1-1 REAL SOCIEDAD

After eight games without a victory, Sociedad are now unbeaten in three games after holding Villarreal to a draw. On the other hand, Villarreal’s form has slumped once more, and they now sit perilously above the relegation zone.

Mikel Aranburu gave Sociedad the lead after 52 minutes, but their position was compromised ten minutes later as Gorka Elustondo saw a second yellow card. A further ten minutes passed before Villarreal were able to capitalise on their advantage, as Marco Ruben salvaged a point that keeps them just outside of the drop zone.

RAYO VALLECANO 1-3 SPORTING GIJON

Sporting gave themselves a shot in the arm as they achieved victory over Rayo, who are gradually slipping towards the relegation places they were predicted to end up in. They were thoroughly outplayed by Sporting, who were 2-0 up by half-time, with David Barral and Nacho Novo grabbing much needed goals. Novo bagged his second of the game after 67 minutes to seal an emphatic win, with Michu’s stoppage time strike a mere consolation.

ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-1 RACING SANTANDER

This time last month, I was talking about Athletic Bilbao as one of the form sides in the division. But four games without a win has halted their possible challenge for a Champions League spot, and mid-table mediocrity has resumed. Racing will not see this as two points dropped, as they continued their mini-revival since the departure of Hector Cuper, with thanks to Alvaro Gonzalez’ last minute equaliser.

Athletic looked to have snatched the win ten minutes from time, through Jon Aurtenetxe’s header, but Gonzalez rose highest in stoppage time to earn Racing a share of the spoils.

GETAFE 1-0 GRANADA

Getafe’s season has finally got up and running as they leapfrogged their opponents into mid-table. This was not a spectacle by any stretch of the imagination, with both sides clearly lacking in any real attacking quality, but Getafe will not care a jot, as Javier Casquero gave them a big three points, 15 minutes from time.

REAL ZARAGOZA 0-1 MALLORCA

Zaragoza sit firmly entrenched at the bottom after another defeat, with five points now separating them from safety. No wins since September have ensured their position does not appear false in the slightest.

Mallorca on other hand move into more of a mid-table place, with a few teams keeping them away from the drop zone, even if the points tally only stands at three. Victor proved the difference between the sides, as he met a cross five minutes before the break to pile on the misery for poor Javier Aguirre.