MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona extended their unbeaten streak to eight games and maintained their five point lead at the top of the Spanish first division as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Osasuna.
Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho found the net late in the first half to put the Catalan club in the driving seat.
The Brazilian showed why he is a prime candidate for the FIFA World Player of the Year with a dazzling run down the left flank before providing the service for the African Player of the Year smashing home the opener after 39 minutes.
Four minutes later, it was Ronaldinho himself who was doing the celebrating after scoring from the spot after being brought down by Osasuna's Cesar Cruchaga.
Eto'o then got his seventh goal of the season two minutes into injury time, after having the visitors from Pamplona under the cosh for most of the second half.
On Saturday, Real Madrid got their first win in four domestic outings and moved up to seventh place, with a 1-0 win over reigning champions Valencia.
Michael Owen got the only goal of the game, finding the net after seven minutes for his first league goal in Spain since his summer signing from Liverpool.
"This goal has given me more confidence. I haven't hit my best level yet but that can't be too far away," said Owen who also scored in the midweek Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev.
Sevilla maintained their role as the surprise package of the Spanish season with a comfortable 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid to move up to second on Sunday.
"I suffered a lot because Atletico are a good team. But, because we came out on top, this result means much more than just three points," said Sevilla coach Joaquin Caparros, who gave a debut to 16 year-old midfielder Diego Capel.
Aitor Ocio opened the scoring for Sevilla after just 10 minutes with a hard, low shot from the edge of the area that gave Atletico goalkeeper Leo Franco little chance.
Seven minutes after the break, Baptista danced past Atletico's frustrated defender Pablo Ibanez before slotting the ball in.
Ibanez partially made up for his lax defending by scrambling home an Atletico consolation goal in injury time.
Espanyol leapt up to fourth after their impressive 2-0 win at Levante.
"What made me happy was not the fact that we played well and scored goals, but the fact that we shut down Levante and didn't give them a single decent chance at goal. That's impressive away from home," commented Espanyol coach Miguel Angel Lotina.
Oscar Serrano got his debut goal in the Spanish first division seven minutes after the break and Alberto Lopo made sure that three points went back with the Barcelona-based side by hitting Espanyol's second after 72 minutes.
At the other end of the table, Racing Santander clawed their way off the bottom of the Spanish first division with a 1-0 win over Real Zaragoza.
A fourth minute goal from Uruguayan international Mario Regueiro, after a neat one-two between Fernando Moran and Pedro Lopez split the Zaragoza defence, was sufficent to grab Racing's first home win of the season.
Numancia slumped to the foot of the table after their 4-0 thrashing at Villarreal, their fourth consecutive away loss.
Juan Roman Riquelme opened the scoring for Villarreal after 20 minutes and the Argentine midfielder made the second after 66 minutes when he ran rings around the Numancia defenders before laying the ball off for Hector Font.
Font then took barely two minutes to add his second before former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan found the net five minutes from time to complete Villarreal's quartet.
The goal was Forlan's fourth since his arrival in Spain, to equal his tally for the entire year in the English Premiership last season.