Monday 6 October 2014 13:30, UK
Barcelona continued to power on at the top of the Primera Division table with a comfortable 2-0 win at Rayo Vallecano, who had two men sent off in the second half.
The Madrid side made a promising start to the game but Lionel Messi got the visitors off the mark after 34 minutes and a moment later Neymar doubled the advantage to kill off Rayo's hopes.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men on the hour mark when Jorge Morcillo received a second booking, and Rayo forward Javier Aquino suffered the same fate in stoppage time, but they conceded no further goals.
Barca goalkeeper Claudio Bravo also made club history by keeping a record seventh consecutive clean sheet in La Liga.
Bravo was not in goal for Barca's 3-2 Champions League loss at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek - the club's first loss under new coach Luis Enrique - as fellow summer signing Marc-Andre ter Stegen took over between the sticks.
Saturday's victory keeps Barca two points clear of second-placed Valencia, who stunned defending champions Atletico Madrid with an early scoring blitz en route to a 3-1 win at the Mestalla.
Valencia netted three times during a chaotic opening 13 minutes, with an own goal from Miranda putting the hosts in front before strikes from Andre Gomes and Nicolas Otamendi increased their lead.
Mario Mandzukic hit back for Atletico before the half-hour and threatened to spark a revival, but hopes of staging a comeback were stopped in their tracks when Guilherme Siqueira had a penalty before the break saved by Diego Alves.
That was the 13th penalty Alves has saved in La Liga, equalling the record set by former Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares.
Visiting substitute Alessio Cerci thought he had scored a second for Atletico in stoppage time, but the effort was chalked off for handball and he was subsequently sent off for a second yellow card as the Rojiblancos slumped to their first league loss of the campaign.
Ten-man Malaga saw off Andalusian rivals Granada 2-1 to end a five-match winless streak, Vitorino Antunes netting the decider from the penalty spot 10 minutes from time.
Youssef El Arabi put Granada ahead inside the first minute but Malaga drew level through Roque Santa Cruz's strike on the hour and, despite losing Marcos Angeleri to a 73rd-minute red card, the hosts claimed the points thanks to Antunes' late spot-kick.
The spoils were shared in the other two evening matches, with Eibar and Levante playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw, while Almeria drew 2-2 with Elche.
Jose Luis Mendilibar's Levante took the lead through Jose Luis Morales after just two minutes and doubled their advantage before half-time courtesy of Victor Camarasa.
The visitors seamed to be cruising but an own goal by Pedro Lopez at the start of the second half revitalised the hosts and they then drew level through Saul Berjon's wonder goal.
Victor Casadesus looked to have sealed the points for Levante with a superb strike of his own in the 79th minute, but substitute Federico Piovaccari had the last word, with the Italian striking into the back of the net in the third minute of added time.
There was also a late leveller for Almeria at home to 10-man Elche.
Elche twice took the lead through Victor Rodriguez (six) and Jonathas (56) but lost the latter to a red card 11 minutes later and Almeria, who had equalised a first time through Jose Antonio Verza's 37th-minute penalty, salvaged a point thanks to Tomer Hemed's goal five minutes from time.
