Ruben Castro

Barcelona set a new record for the best-ever start to a La Liga season on Sunday when a 3-1 win at Malaga allowed them to remain 11 points clear of Atletico Madrid and 18 in front of Real Madrid.

Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi scored in a ninth successive La Liga game as Barcelona won 3-1 at Malaga on Sunday to remain 11 points clear of Atletico Madrid and 18 in front of champions Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid made it ten wins out of ten at home this season with an easy 2-0 victory over Zaragoza that puts them eight points behind Barcelona ahead of the leaders game at Malaga on Sunday.

Lionel Messi surpassed Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year with a first-half double that helped his side to an important 2-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday.

Lionel Messi surpassed Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year with a first-half double that helped his side to an important 2-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday.

Joel Campbell showed what Arsenal are missing this season with his sweetly struck shot giving Real Betis a 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga on Sunday.

Real Madrid suffered a major setback to their Spanish title hopes when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis on Saturday, handing Barcelona the opportunity to open an 11-point gap over their bitter rivals on Sunday.

A first-half onslaught saw Sevilla set up a 5-1 win over Real Betis in a one-sided Andalusian derby due to the visitor's hapless defence on Sunday.

Real Betis bounced back from two straight defeats with a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on a black night for La Liga which saw five red cards brandished in just four matches.

Real Betis bounced back from two straight defeats as a Paulao header set them up for a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday that lifted them up to fourth in the table.

Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1 on Sunday with two goals from Lionel Messi and one each for Carles Puyol, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa, in his first game back after eight months out with injury.

Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1 on Sunday with two goals from Lionel Messi and one each for Carles Puyol, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa, in his first game back after eight months out with injury.

Real Madrid's La Liga title defence got off to a stuttering start when they dropped two crucial home points in a 1-1 draw with Valencia on a hot Sunday night in the Spanish capital.

Ten-man Barcelona needed an injury-time goal to secure a 2-2 draw at Real Betis on Saturday in coach Pep Guardiola's final La Liga game in charge.

Ten-man Barcelona needed an injury-time goal to secure a 2-2 draw at Real Betis on Saturday in coach Pep Guardiola's final La Liga game in charge.

Defending champions Barcelona upped the pressure on leaders Real Madrid on Tuesday as they moved to within a point of their bitter rivals after a 4-0 thumping of Getafe.

Venezuelan forward Solomon Rondon scored twice as Malaga beat Rayo Vallecano 4-2 on Thursday to move into fifth position in La Liga, level on 44 points with Levante and just three behind third-placed Valencia.

Ten-man Malaga beat Sevilla 2-1 on Sunday night in a fiery Andalusian derby to leap above their local rivals into seventh position in La Liga, one point behind a potential place in next season's Europa League.

Valencia substitute Aritz Aduriz came on from the bench to score twice and help his side earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Racing Santander on Sunday.

Levante missed a golden opportunity to secure their fourth position in La Liga on Sunday when they lost 2-1 at home to Getafe.