Barcelona defeat Valencia extend lead at top of La Liga
Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to nine points with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Valencia as Real Madrid were held by Real Betis.
Raphinha.Raphinha scored the only goal of the game, his sixth for the club, and Barcelona were able to hold on despite finishing the match with 10 men after Ronald Araujo was shown a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity just before the hour mark.
Manager Xavi Hernandez watched on from the stands due to a suspension as Barcelona bounced back from their shock defeat at relegation strugglers Almeria last week.
Madrid lost ground on the leaders as they were held to a goalless draw at Betis, a second straight La Liga draw.
Real Valladolid moved further away from the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Espanyol.
Ivan Sanchez and Alvaro Aguado scored either side of half-time to put the hosts ahead, with Espanyol pulling one back through Martin Braithwaite in the 87th minute.
The points were shared in a goalless draw between Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao.
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