Barça pull clear as Villarreal stutter

Barça pull clear as Villarreal stutter

A 2-0 victory at RC Recreativo de Huelva coupled with second-placed Villarreal CF conceding a last-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Málaga CF helped move FC Barcelona three points clear at the top of the Spanish Liga.
Winning streakThe win was Barcelona's ninth league triumph in a row and the star of the show was Lionel Messi. The Argentinian opened the scoring six minutes after the break when he picked up Xavi Hernández's cleverly disguised free-kick before driving in. Seydou Keita added the second four minutes from time, his first goal for the club.
Andalusian stalemateVillarreal took an early lead at La Rosaleda when Giuseppe Rossi struck in the eighth minute, the 21-year-old's fifth league goal of the season. However, Duda restored parity on the half-hour mark and although Joseba Llorente put the Yellow Submarine back in front five minutes after half-time, Helder Rosário's late effort gained a point for the hosts.
Away triumphSevilla FC won 2-0 at Getafe CF to join Real Madrid CF on 23 points, five behind Barcelona. Luis Fabiano (36) and Belgian international midfielder Tom De Mul (90) were both on target for the UEFA Cup contenders. Club Atlético de Madrid's enigmatic domestic form continued via a 4-1 home win over RC Deportivo La Coruña. John Heitinga got the ball rolling in the 26th minute and his strike was added to by Diego Forlán (53, 82) and Maxi Rodríguez (68) before Filipe's late consolation. Towards the other end of the standings, CD Numancia scored twice in the last four minutes to snatch a 4-3 win at RCD Espanyol while UD Almería enjoyed a 2-1 home success against RCD Mallorca. Lastly, Sergio García scored twice for Real Betis Balompié as they overcame Real Racing Club 3-1.
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