Villarreal have missed the chance to go top this afternoon after only drawing 1-1 with Almeria at El Madrigal.

You can follow Valencia's trip to Racing Santander in full live comments by clicking on the link below the photo.

Leaders Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at Real Murcia on Saturday had left the door wide open and Villarreal looked to be on course when Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci burst clear to score in the 14th minute.

However, Almeria, who had not scored in their previous four matches, levelled through former Real youth team striker Alvaro Negredo early in the second half.

Real stay top with 29 points, one ahead of Villarreal and two clear of arch-rivals Barcelona, who beat Recreativo Huelva 3-0 in the Nou Camp on Saturday.

Espanyol climbed to fourth on 25 with a 2-1 win away to Osasuna, ahead of fifth-placed Atletico Madrid and sixth-placed Valencia who both have 24.

Atletico needed a last-minute own goal from Valladolid defender Pedro Lopez to secure a 4-3 win with 10 men, after a topsy-turvy encounter in the Calderon.

They went 1-0 up after two minutes through Portugal midfielder Maniche, and came back twice from 2-1 and 3-2 down thanks to a brace from Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez.

Bottom club Levante survived another seven-goal thriller to beat Real Betis 4-3 at home, putting more pressure on their under-fire coach Hector Cuper.

Deportivo Coruna came from two down to draw 2-2 away to Athletic Bilbao, with a last-minute header from Uruguayan striker Sebastian Taborda.

Eurosport