Real Madrid secured a fortunate Liga victory for the second week in succession at bottom club Levante after Ruud van Nistelrooy scored a second-half brace for a 2-0 win.

The three points, their sixth on the trot in the league, move Madrid seven ahead of Barcelona once again at the summit; Levante remain nine behind second-bottom Deportivo and 13 from safety.

Van Nistelrooy stroked home a 76th-minute penalty kick to open the scoring after Jose Serrano handled a Gonzalo Higuain cross then made it two with a couple of minutes remaining, banging a shot into the bottom corner from 18 yards after Guti teed him up.

Levante belied their shocking form this season with an excellent performance that left Bernd Schuster's side trailing for much of the 90 minutes.

Intrepid play from midfielders Juanma on the right and Laurent Courtois on the left caused Madrid no end of problems while the industry of former Roma hero Damiano Tommasi thwarted the attacking intentions of Julio Baptista and Robinho.

The match echoed that at home to Zaragoza last weekend, when Los Merengues emerged victorious despite being ineffective for almost the entire contest.

The introduction of Higuain and Guti made the difference against Levante, although both Baptista and Robinho shook free of their shackles to strike the post at different points - and Baptista also had a pair of shots from close range cleared off the line by Luis Rubiales in the first half.

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ATLETICO 1-0 VALENCIA

Valencia's woes continued at Atletico after they went down to a Sergio Aguero goal in Madrid while substitute Nikola Zigic twice hit the frame of the goal for the visitors.

Aguero pounced from close range after a fumble by Valencia goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand in the 28th minute of the match in the Vicente Calderon.

On the evidence of the first half Javier Aguirre's men deserved the lead perhaps as Ronald Koeman's players, led by winger Joaquin in a lone striking capacity, largely failed to create anything.

Hildebrand saved his team-mates' skins twice in quick succession in the first quarter of an hour. First he tipped Antonio Lopez's whipped free-kick onto the post before diverting a cracking Aguero dipping strike past the upright at full stretch.

Giant striker Zigic came on at the break and struck a shot from 18 yards that crashed against the crossbar before a header came back off the post.

Midfielder Ever Banega, who joined from Boca Juniors for 18 million euros this month, also made an appearance at half-time and Los Che looked a side transformed for most of the second period.

Atletico somehow survived a 30-minute onslaught to move above Villarreal and Espanyol into third place, three points behind Barcelona and 10 adrift of neighbours and leaders Real.

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ALMERIA 1-0 ESPANYOL

Almeria ended Espanyol's 14-match unbeaten run with a header from Nigerian forward Kalu Uche three minutes from time when a free-kick was hooked back into the goalmouth.

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OSASUNA 0-2 RACING SANTANDER

Racing grabbed the points from an evenly-balanced game with two goals in two minutes near the end.

Gonzalo Colsa scored with a header from a free-kick in the 82nd and almost immediately Pablo Alvarez put away a loose ball to seal the win.

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REAL BETIS 3-2 GETAFE

Betis had Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira to thank for this bizarre victory after Getafe squandered a host of chances.

Argentine striker Mariano Pavone headed Betis in front from a set-piece in the third minute and Brazilian Edu headed Pavone's cross in at the far post in the 34th.

Getafe conceded an own goal in the 60th but pulled one back from the penalty spot two minutes later through Ruben de la Red.

Manu del Moral added a second for Getafe in the 78th minute.

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REAL ZARAGOZA 2-2 REAL MALLORCA

Mallorca's Fernando Varela added to his catalogue of spectacular strikes with a great volley in the 17th minute.

Argentina's Diego Milito levelled with a header after uncertain Mallorca defending in the 23rd and added a second with another header that went in off a post in the 36th.

Mallorca substitute Daniel Guiza levelled again in the 61st, making it nine games without a win for under-pressure Zaragoza coach Victor Fernandez.

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VALLADOLID 3-1 RECREATIVO

Valladolid striker Joseba Llorente finished off a flowing counter-attack after eight minutes and chased a hopeful punt to add his second after 23.

Recre pulled one back through Javier Camunas in the 44th after a mix-up in the home defence but Llorente completed his hat-trick on a breakaway in the 88th.

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VILLARREAL 4-3 DEPORTIVO

Depor opened the scoring with a penalty from Sergio after 27 minutes but three minutes later a handball at the other end allowed Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi to level from the other penalty spot.

Pablo Amo restored Depor's lead in the 58th but the home side's Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci poached an equaliser in the 65th and curled in a second goal three minutes later.

Amo was sent off in conceding a penalty for Denmark's Jon Dahl Tomasson to make it 4-2 in the 80th before Mexican Andres Guardado scored a last-minute goal for Depor from distance.

Jonathan Symcox, Eurosport / Reuters