HUELVA, Dec 17 (SW) - Sevilla went to the top of La Liga on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Andalusian rivals Recreativo despite finishing with 10 men.

The match started quite brightly for Sevilla in the 10th minute when Juan Merino conceded a penalty, Luis Fabiano stepping up to slot it home.

But the lead lasted just eight minutes as Recreativo equalized through Jesús Vázquez as the home side sought to add a nice result to their strong season thus far.

The class of Sevilla, though, would come to the fore in the 35th minute as electric stirker Frédéric Kanouté bundled home the go-ahead goal, and Jesús Navas made it 3-1 in the 53rd minute to put the game away.

Recreativo did have a little hope when Sevilla's Aitor Odio was dismissed on 70 minutes, but they had little to offer in attack and were defeated.

With Barcelona playing at the Club World Cup in Japan, the Catalan side trail by a point, but now have a game in hand.