Leaders Real Madrid beat Villarreal 3-2 at home to pull nine points clear at the top of the Primera Liga last night, as all their nearest rivals dropped points.

Brazil forward Robinho scored a goal in each half in a pulsating match at the Bernabeu, in which Giuseppe Rossi and Joan Capdevila had twice levelled for third-placed Villarreal.

Wesley Sneijder scored the winner as Real made the most of second-placed Barcelona's 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao.

Seventeen-year-old striker Bojan Krkic fired Barcalona in front 10 minutes before the break after being set up by Deco but they failed to kill off the game.

Indeed they finished hanging on for the final whistle after French defender Lilian Thuram turned the ball into his own net 11 minutes from the final whistle.

Real's eighth consecutive win in the league puts them on 53 points, Barcelona have 44 and Villarreal 38.

Atletico Madrid and Espanyol both lost as their vague pretensions of challenging for the title were knocked back even further.

Fourth-placed Atletico, on 37 points, fell to a goal from Venezuela striker Juan Arango at Real Mallorca, making it three defeats in a week for Javier Aguirre's side.

Espanyol, a point back in fifth, lost 2-1 at home to Real Betis for their third consecutive league defeat.

They stayed three points ahead of sixth-placed Racing Santander who scrambled a 2-2 draw at home to Real Zaragoza, thanks to a last-minute goal from striker Mohamed Tchite.

Elsewhere, the problems mounted for under-fire coach Ronald Koeman as Valencia made it nine games without a win, losing 1-0 at home to promoted Almeria.