Valencia denied at the death

Luís Figo rescued Real Madrid CF from what would have been a rare defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, converting a penalty three minutes into added time to secure a 1-1 draw against second-placed Valencia CF.

Ayala header
Valencia were on their way to becoming the first side to beat Madrid at home in over nine months. The last team to achieve the feat were RCD Mallorca in May 2003 and it appeared that Roberto Ayala's powerfully-struck header following a 75th-minute Miguel Angulo corner was going to be enough for a precious victory.

Figo cool
Figo had other ideas, stepping up to tuck past Santiago Cañizares, who was making his 300th league appearance, after the referee penalised Carlos Marchena for a foul on Raúl González. The result meant that Carlos Queiroz's charges stayed two points clear at the top of the Primera División standings.

Dropped points
Hunting what would be their sixth Spanish title, Rafael Benítez's side edged out Madrid 2-0 at the Mestalla on 27 September and possess the best away record in the division. It was apt, then, that they were the first team this season to take points off Madrid at the Bernabéu in a game with four bookings for each side and precious few chances.

Víctor double
A first-half double from midfield player Víctor Sánchez helped third-placed RC Deportivo La Coruña keep the pressure on the leading duo courtesy of a 2-0 home defeat of CA Osasuna. The winger drilled in from distance to open his account and 15 minutes later scored what proved the decider, guiding in at the far post to complete a superbly executed counterattack. Osasuna were reduced to ten men when Pablo García upended Juan Carlos Valerón.

Pace gathered
Fourth-placed FC Barcelona’s revival gathered pace thanks to a 3-1 home defeat of Club Atlético de Madrid. First-half goals from Javier Saviola, Ronaldinho and Luis García meant that the blow of Edgar Davids' second-half dismissal did not prove critical. RC Celta de Vigo, meanwhile, appear to belatedly be in the ascendancy, defeating Real Valladolid 2-0 thanks to efforts from Aleksandr Mostovoi and Jesuli.

Goals galore
There were goals galore in the rest of Sunday's early games. Villarreal CF recorded their highest ever score in the top flight with a thrilling 6-3 win against Real Racing Club Santander and Málaga CF ended their six-match losing run with a 5-2 demolition of RCD Espanyol. Júlio Baptista hit a hat-trick in Sevilla FC's 3-1 defeat of basement team Real Murcia CF, Real Sociedad de Fútbol and ten-man Athletic Club Bilbao drew 1-1 in a predictably intense Basque derby and Real Betis Balompié overcame Real Zaragoza 2-1. Mallorca and Albacete Balompié fought out a goalless draw.