Barça surge away as Sevilla stumble to second

FC Barcelona came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory at Villarreal CF and open up a ten-point buffer in the Spanish Liga after Sevilla FC could only manage a goalless draw at RCD Mallorca earlier on Sunday.

Cani opener
Thierry Henry and Giuseppe Rossi missed good chances for either side in the first half at El Madrigal but Cani sprung the offside trap within three minutes of the restart when he latched on to a through ball from Rossi and neatly clipped his finish over Víctor Valdés to open the scoring. However, the advantage did not last long as Barça swept forwards on 54 minutes and Daniel Alves looped in a right-wing cross that Seydou Keita bravely headed in under pressure from goalkeeper Diego López.

Nervous finish
Henry completed the turnaround when he applied the finish to a pinpoint Xavi Hernández cross after the midfielder had accelerated to the edge of the Villarreal area. The Catalan club were made to cling on, though, when Gerard Piqué was sent off on 75 minutes and Guille Franco spurned a fine late chance.

Deportivo delight
Sevilla had the chance to generate a three-point gap over Club Atlético de Madrid and Valencia CF in second place but they failed to unlock a spirited Mallorca rearguard. RC Deportivo La Coruña consolidated seventh spot with an emphatic 4-1 success at home to struggling RC Recreativo de Huelva, their fourth win in five Liga encounters.

Goal sprees
Two other sides with relegation fears fared better thanks to an abundance of goals. Basement side CA Osasuna led the way with five different scorers in their 5-2 victory at home to Getafe CF while hosts CD Numancia scored three times in the final five minutes to turn a 3-1 deficit into a success against Real Valladolid CF. Elsewhere, Real Sporting de Gijón overcame UD Almería 1-0, Athletic Club Bilbao won by the same score at Real Betis Balompié and Real Racing Club drew 1-1 with Málaga CF.