Levante lead as Atleti, Valencia draw

Levante lead as Atleti, Valencia draw


Levante's fairytale start to the season continued tonight as they moved a point clear at the top of the La Liga table after defeating local rivals Villarreal 3-0 at El Madrigal.

Juanlu scored twice for the visitors, the first a flashing volley and the second a close-range effort as Levante took command before the break. Arouna Kone added a third after 58 minutes to help Levante to their sixth consecutive win and move clear of Real Madrid. European champions Barcelona are two points adrift in third.

Roberto Soldado netted a late equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw for Valencia with Athletic Bilbao, who had gone ahead through 18-year-old Iker Muniain with an impressive opener in the 72nd minute.

Villarreal had won just one of their previous six competitive games heading into the contest, but with time ticking down and a own-goal deficit, Soldado levelled the score to ensure an end to a poor run of form.

Atleti level with Mallorca
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, scored their first goal in three matches, but were still unable to defeat Real Mallorca at the Vicente Calderon.

Gregorio Manzano's inconsistent side conceded a penalty within the opening 30 seconds, which was converted by Tomer Hemed, but Radamel Falcao replied from the spot two minutes before half-time to salvage a point.

Rayo Vallecano earned their second win of the season thanks to two late goals in a hard-fought clash against fellow promoted side Real Betis. Rayo midfielder Lass opened the scoring in the 80th minute before Sergio Koke doubled the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the final whistle to help Rayo climb away from the relegation zone.

Osasuna assert authority
Osasuna produced a dominant display to blow away Real Zaragoza 3-0 in their La Liga clash at the Reyno de Navarra. Zaragoza failed to defend set-pieces all afternoon and Raul Garcia scored the opener after 18 minutes when the visitors failed to clear a long throw into the box.

Nino doubled the advantage from another throw-in and Javad Nekounam scored the pick of the goals with a fantastic looping header after half an hour.

Pedro Leon struck the bar in the last minute as Getafe had to settle for a point in a largely uneventful goalless draw at Real Sociedad. The result leaves Getafe just above the relegation zone with only one win and six points to their credit this season, while Sociedad are two points better off after bringing an end to their three-match losing streak.