Spain round-up: Valencia near title triumph

Advantage Valencia
Valencia had Rubén Baraja to thank for their 2-1 victory at RCD Espanyol after playing an hour of the match with ten men following the dismissal of Amedeo Carboni. For their part, Madrid were beaten 3-0 at Real Sociedad to hand the initiative to their rivals. Valencia with 69 points hold a four-point advantage over the Merengues with two games left to play.

Baraja double
Espanyol actually took the lead at Montjuic when Raúl Tamudo converted from the penalty spot. But Valencia were not to be denied and Baraja found the net in the 63rd and 77th minutes to put the title within reach.

Deportivo chance
Madrid, meanwhile, were humbled at the Anoeta by a determined Sociedad. Darko Kovacevic scored with a 58th-minute penalty before late strikes from Dmitri Kholkov and Oscar Gamero sealed an incredible victory against the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists. Third-placed RC Deportivo La Coruña can close the gap on Madrid to a point if they beat Málaga CF tomorrow.

Emphatic victory
Elsewhere, FC Barcelona kept up their bid for a Champions League berth with an emphatic 4-1 defeat of struggling Villarreal CF. Despite going a goal down at Camp Nou, Barcelona hit back through Luis Enrique, Thiago Motta, Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola.