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Barca beat Deportivo 2-1 to go three points ahead

Real Betis midfielder Arzu, right, challenges Marcos Senna of Villarreal during the La Liga match played at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium in Seville, Spain, on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o scored to help defending champion FC Barcelona beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-1 and take a three-point lead in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Barcelona's victory was their 11th in 14 league games at Camp Nou stadium this season. They drew the other three.

Earlier, Valencia climbed into third place by beating Espanyol 3-2 with goals by David Villa, Vicente Rodriguez and Miguel Angel Angulo.

Villa struck in the 12th minute, Vicente in the 26th and Angulo in the 59th to boost Valencia's hopes of a third title in six years.

Also, Robert Pires' first Spanish league goal helped Villarreal draw 3-3 with Real Betis, while Real Sociedad beat Levante 1-0.

Barcelona have 56 points, Sevilla 53, and Valencia 50, two more than Real Madrid.

Messi struck on the stroke of half-time when he ran into the area to chest down Ronaldinho's chip before volleying home.

Eto'o fired home Barcelona's second goal from inside the penalty area in the 51st minute after the ball was played into his path by Deportivo defender Jorge Andrade during a fast-flowing attack by the home team.

In the 68th minute, Deportivo's teenage striker Adrian Lopez took advantage of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's weak header to burst past Barcelona's defense and reduce the deficit with the first Spanish league goal of his career.

Barcelona midfielder Deco missed the game through suspension, although surgery on a finger meant he was out of action anyway.

Valencia's victory boosted their morale ahead of the team's Champions League first-leg quarterfinal at Chelsea on Wednesday.

Villa gave the home team the lead when he executed a scissors kick to meet Joaquin Sanchez's cross, with Espanyol midfielder Albert Riera equalizing in the 15th from Luis Garcia's pass.

Vicente restored the advantage with a low, angled shot after playing two wall passes with Villa.

Angulo turned home Villa's low cross for the third goal, and Espanyol's Garcia reduced the deficit to 3-2 in the 63rd.

Valencia defender Roberto Ayala was carried off on a stretcher in the 90th after apparently feeling faint while playing. Reports after the game said the Argentine had recovered and would be fit for the visit to London.

Valencia central defender David Navarro was absent after beginning the six-month suspension he incurred for breaking Inter Milan midfielder Nicolas Burdisso's nose after a Champions League game on March 6.

Also sidelined was striker Fernando Morientes, who dislocated his right shoulder during Spain's 1-0 win over Iceland on Wednesday.

Playing only his second league game for Villarreal, Pires appeared as a substitute in the 72nd minute and struck his team's third goal seven minutes later after receiving Diego Forlan's through ball.

The Frenchman joined Villarreal from Arsenal last June but injured his knee the following month.

Forlan, the former Manchester United striker, scored Villarreal's other goals to take his season's tally to 10. His first goal was after only a minute when the Uruguayan fired past Betis goalkeeper Toni Doblas.

Fernando headed the equalizer for Betis from Enrique Romero's cross in the 10th.

Forlan began the second half as he had the first by shooting home in the 48th, this time from Guillermo Franco's headed pass, to make it 2-1. Edu Schmidt leveled for Betis with a header from Marcos Assuncao's floated free kick in the 71st before Pires scored for 3-2.

Betis' third equalizer came in injury time when defender Juanito Gutierrez bundled the ball home.

The game was at La Cartuja, a Seville stadium which hosted the 2003 UEFA Cup final, because Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium has been ordered closed for three games. Betis was punished after Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was knocked unconscious by a bottle thrown from the crowd during a game last month.

Villarreal stayed 11th with 38 points, while Betis remained 15th with 32.

Sociedad moved off last place after continuing their revival with a 1-0 victory over Levante. The Basques, who haven't played in the second division since 1967, have taken seven points from their last three games.

Ion Ansotegi won the game with a 38th-minute glancing header from Savio Bortolini's floated free kick.

Levante, who stayed 16th with 28 points, had forward Mustapha Riga sent off in the 52nd minute after receiving two yellow cards.

Levante coach Abel Resino was also ejected later in the half for protesting to the referee.
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