Barcelona cut the gap between them and Spanish league leaders Real Madrid CF to four points with a 4-1 win against Real Valladolid CF while the champions lost 3-2 at home to Valencia CF.

Samuel Eto'o (24) gave Barcelona the lead but the visitors levelled seven minutes later through Jonathan Sesma's penalty. Andrés Iniesta (47) restored the hosts' advantage and Bojan Krkiæ added two more to wrap up the points.
Their title aspirations were given a major boost when Valencia, who reached the Copa del Rey final in midweek by overcoming Barça, took the points in the capital when Javier Arizmendi scored a last-minute winner. The hosts' fifth defeat in eight league games looked unlikely after Raúl González's double had overturned David Villa's early strike, but the Valencia striker added his second from the penalty spot on 67 minutes before Arizmendi wrong-footed Iker Casillas to crown a superb comeback.

Villarreal CF remain two points behind the Catalan club in third thanks to a 2-1 win at bottom side Levante UD. Guille Franco (83) provided the decisive moment after Miguel Ángel (65) had cancelled out Matías Fernández's 28th-minute opener. RCD Espanyol could have moved back to within two points of fourth-placed Club Atlético de Madrid but they surprisingly suffered a comprehensive 4-0 loss against a Real Murcia CF side deep in the relegation zone. Ivan Alonso struck either side of the break before Abel Gómez and Richi completed the rout to hand Javier Clemente his first win as coach.

Real Racing Club Santander jumped above Espanyol and Sevilla FC into fifth with a 2-0 win against RC Recreativo de Huelva – Sergio Orteman and Euzebiusz Smolarek scoring in the final nine minutes. Meanwhile, Real Betis Balompié eased their relegation worries as Mark González's goal saw off CA Osasuna, as did Athletic Club Bilbao by overcoming Getafe CF 1-0, while Real Zaragoza drew 1-1 at home with UD Almería.