Barcelona extended its unbeaten streak to 16 matches in the Spanish league with a 3-1 home win against Mallorca yesterday.
Barcelona's 14th win in 17 matches gave it an 11-point lead in the standings ahead of Valencia, which won its home game against Atletico Madrid 3-1. Sevilla could overtake Valencia if it wins against last-place Osasuna today.
Valencia was on 33 points, two ahead of Sevilla.
Mallorca scored first through Aritz Aduriz, and Barcelona's reply came from Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta and Yaya Toure in the league's first game following the annual winter break.
Aduriz stole the ball in midfield, deftly dribbled past defenders Toure and Victor Sanchez and outpaced both before lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Victor Valdes in the 15th minute.
After a period of sustained Barcelona pressure, Henry equalized in the 31st when he controlled a corner cross and shot from the left of the penalty area inside the far post. It was the French forward's ninth goal this season.
Iniesta's second goal of the season in the 75th converted a cross from Iceland international Eidur Gudjohnsen. Iniesta had replaced Alexandre Hleb only about five minutes earlier for his first match since he injured his right leg on Nov. 4.
Mallorca's Jose Miguel "Josemi" Gonzalez was ejected for a second yellow card offense when he fouled Xavi Hernandez in the 90th, then Toure capped a good night for the home team in the second minute of injury time after skillfully dribbling past Mallorca's defense.
Belarus midfielder Hleb was in Barcelona's starting lineup on the right wing instead of Lionel Messi, who returned late from a holiday break with his family in Argentina and had not been able to train fully for the match.
Messi and Brazil's Dani Alves had reportedly been held up returning from South America after problems with their flights.
Messi watched the match from the VIP stand, where he sat next to Diego Maradona, who was greeted warmly by Johan Cruyff before the match at Camp Nou Stadium.
Samuel Eto'o, the league leading scorer with 15 goals from 16 matches, was coach Pep Guardiola's starting choice as striker after the Cameroon international returned three days early from a holiday.
Valencia striker David Villa converted a penalty in the 35th minute to take his season's goal tally to 13, three of them from the spot. The offense happened when Atletico midfielder Raul Garcia pushed Ruben Baraja.
Midfielder David Silva gave Valencia a second goal five minutes later when he buried Portugal defender Luis Miguel Brito's accurate cross.
Atletico's Diego Forlan pulled one back when he converted a penalty after Baraja fouled Sergio Aguero in first-half injury time.
Silva then hit a powerful left-footed shot into the top right corner of the net from 10 meters (yards) outside the penalty area from a Joaquin Sanchez cross in the 69th.
On Sunday, it's: Real Madrid vs. Villarreal; Athletic Bilbao vs. Espanyol; Almeria vs. Real Betis; Recreativo Huelva vs. Numancia; Valladolid vs. Racing Santander; Malaga vs. Sporting Gijon; Sevilla vs. Osasuna and Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruna.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily January 4, 2009)
