Unbeaten Valencia surge four clear with Bilbao win

Valencia bounced back from their Champions League loss to Manchester United with a 2-1 home victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to move four points clear at the Spanish first division summit.

A third goal of the season from striker Aritz Aduriz on 10 minutes and a late strike from substitute Vicente made it 16 points from 18 for unbeaten Valencia who lead Villarreal and champions Barcelona.

It is too early to know if Valencia, league champions in 2002 and 2004 under Rafael Benitez, are genuine title contenders to Real and Barca who finished 28 points ahead of third-placed Valencia last season.

Barcelona host Real Mallorca on Sunday while Real Madrid, who have yet to be defeated, entertain strugglers Deportivo La Coruna on the same day looking to close a five-point gap on Valencia.

Valencia fell victim to a late goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League home defeat to Manchester United but responded with a narrow win over Bilbao to continue their fine start.

Aduriz linked up well with strike partner Roberto Soldado and planted a header home in the 10th minute for his third goal since joining from Real Mallorca in a four-million-euro summer move.

Vicente added a second goal a minute into stoppage time and it proved crucial as Igor Gabilondo pulled a goal back for Bilbao in stoppage time.

Earlier on loan French striker Florent Sinama Pongolle scored twice in five minutes as 10-man Real Zaragoza came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

Zaragoza stay bottom of the table despite the point but it could have been worse having trailed 2-0 with one player less after the dismissal of former Chelsea defender Jiri Jarosik two minutes after the break.

However, the hosts scored twice in five minutes to stun Gijon with former Liverpool striker Pongolle, on loan from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, scoring in the 56th minute and again in the 61st minute to change the course of the match as Zaragoza salvaged an unlikely point.

“The team produced a titanic effort to level the score,” said Zaragoza coach Jose Aurelio Gay. “At the end of the match they had counter attacks but Toni Doblas (the Zaragoza goalkeeper) did really well.”

Zaragoza prop up the table with no win from their first six matches while Sporting are in 15th place after squandering two points.

Elsewhere Espanyol’s travel sickness struck again as the Barcelona side lost 1-0 at promoted Real Sociedad on Saturday.

An 83rd minute own goal from Argentine centre-back Juan Forlin handed Sociedad victory and inflicted a third away defeat on Espanyol who have to collect a point on the road.

It was a special match for striker Raul Tamudo, 32, as he started against old club Espanyol — where he spent 14 successful years before joining Sociedad in the summer — for the first time before being substituted in the 67th minute.

Sociedad had lost their last three matches and the much-needed win sees them move into mid-table while Espanyol are sixth on the back of their perfect nine points at home.

The game of the weekend is on Sunday when Sevilla host Atletico Madrid in a re-run of last season’s Kings Cup final which Sevilla won 2-0.

Sevilla sacked coach Antonio Alvarez on Sunday and new manager Gregorio Manzano makes his league bow against Atletico at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Fifth-placed Atletico, three points behind Valencia, are without Argentine striker Sergio “Kun” Aguero who picked up a knock in training.

Sevilla won 1-0 at Borussia Dortmund in Thursday’s Europa League match as Manzano got off to a winning start on his debut and hopes for another victory as Sevilla bid to improve on their seventh place.