Rampant Real Madrid thrashed reigning Spanish champions Valencia 4-1 at the Bernabeu stadium last night to close the gap on surprise league leaders Real Sociedad to just three points.
Sociedad earlier maintained their unbeaten run but had to settle for a solitary point in a 2-2 home draw with Malaga, allowing Real to trim the deficit with a feast of attacking football.
Sociedad have 36 points from 16 matches to Real's 33 - but the latter look ready to hit the front before long after several false starts.
Zinedine Zidane set up the opener for Ronaldo but the hosts initially failed to build on that strike and Roberto Ayala nodded the visitors level nine minutes after the break.
But Mauricio Pellegrino deflected home a Zidane drive and substitute Guti swivelled to net the third before the mercurial Frenchman brilliantly fed substitute Javier Garcia Portillo for the fourth to hand the European champions three vital points.
Valencia were outplayed in the first half but somehow went in only one goal down, although they gave Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas work to do on several occasions.
Roberto Carlos was at the hub of most of their best moves in the opening period, thrashing one effort against the post and forcing Valencia goalkeeper Andres Palop into two superb stops.
But it was his compatriot Ronaldo who broke the deadlock on 36 minutes after an incisive pass from Zidane, who split the meanest defence in the country, allowing Brazil's World Cup final hero to clip home his sixth league goal of the campaign left-footed.
Earlier, Raul had produced two uncharacteristically profligate pieces of finishing with a soft header wide and then a low drive which also flashed off target.
Valencia had only conceded eight goals in their previous 15 league matches - but they found themselves under the cosh as Real piled on almost unrelenting pressure.
Real had begun in muted mood - and not just because of the rain which left parts of the pitch waterlogged.
A minute's silence preceded the kick-off following the funeral of Real coach Vicente Del Bosque's mother.
Ronaldo did his best to cheer up the man who has brought Real two European Cups by racing to embrace Del Bosque after his shot hit the net.
But Real's joy did not last long, Ayala equalising with a textbook header eight minutes into the second half after Aurelio whipped over a cross from the left. Valencia's top scorer John Carew then fired beyond the far post when well-placed as Real threatened to throw it away.
But as they threatened to take control Valencia suffered a blow when Pablo Aimar was sent off for a crude challenge on Michel Salgado in the 64th minute.
Valencia then fell apart in the teeth of the onslaught as Zidane's deflected effort made it 2-1 only three minutes after Ayala's departure, and Guti and Portillo rubbed salt into Valencia's wounds.
They now stand fourth, a point behind Deportivo La Coruna and fully eight points behind Sociedad, who twice failed to keep the lead against Malaga.
Turkish star Nihat Kahveci put the leaders in front on nine minutes but Malaga levelled 15 minutes later through a deflected effort by Kiki Musampa on the volley.
Within four minutes Dimitri Khokhlov bundled the ball home with his back as he charged down a clearance by Malaga goalkeeper Pedro Contreras to make it 2-1 but Uruguayan striker Dario Silva celebrated his 100th match in the Primera Liga with the 56th-minute equaliser.
Barcelona scored a morale-boosting 3-0 home success over tailenders Recreativo Huelva after goals from Fabio Rochemback, a Loren own goal and Philip Cocu. Xavi should have added to the tally but missed a penalty conceded by Paraguayan Nelson Zelaya, who was sent off on his debut for the visitors.
Barca moved up to eighth - but trail Sociedad by 14 points. But coach Louis van Gaal said afterwards he was a happy man: "Tonight the most important thing was to win. We could have won by more."
