Madrid master Sevilla, Barcelona hit seven

Real Madrid CF continue to lead FC Barcelona by seven points at the Liga summit after claiming a 3-0 win against Sevilla CF courtesy of two goals in four minutes from Karim Benzema.

The Frenchman started the day as provider, playing in Cristiano Ronaldo after 19 minutes to open the scoring with a clinical finish. In space, the Portugal forward feigned to shoot with his left foot before cutting inside past a sliding challenge and curling into the bottom-right corner with his right.

Ronaldo then hit a post with a free-kick, with Benzema taking over three minutes after the restart as he knocked in Ángel Di María's back-post cross unmarked. Shortly afterwards, he met Sergio Ramos's deep delivery with a diving header to complete the win.

Had FC Barcelona lost at Rayo Vallecano de Madrid tonight, José Mourinho's men would have been crowned champions. As it was, Pedro Rodríguez and Lionel Messi each fired in a double as the Catalan side trounced their hosts 7-0.

Elsewhere, Málaga CF beat Valencia CF to go level with their third-placed opponents on 55 points, Real Zaragoza stayed within four points of safety with a win against UEFA Europa League finalists Athletic Club, while Falcao's 94th-minute equaliser earned Athletic's opponents in the 9 May showpiece, Club Atlético de Madrid, a draw at Real Betis Balompié.