JOIN USSevilla stun Real; Messi brace spurs Barca
Real Madrid's stuttering start to La Liga continued when they lost 1-0 at Sevilla to slip eight points behind leaders Barcelona who were 4-1 victors at Getafe earlier on Saturday.
With only one win and a draw from their first three games, champions Real were under pressure to react after Lionel Messi came off the bench to score twice and help Barca maintain their 100 per cent record. Sevilla's Piotr Trochowski netted at a corner in the second minute and Real laboured in their bid to equalise in a bruising and bad-tempered battle at the Sanchez Pizjuan.
Barca are top with 12 points from four games, two ahead of second-placed Malaga who were 3-1 winners at home to Levante. Sevilla rose to third on eight points and Real are 10th.
The scene was set in the opening minutes in Seville when Poland midfielder Trochowski arrived late and unmarked at a corner to hammer a volley into the roof of the net.
At Getafe, World Player of the Year Messi started as a substitute in a league game for the first time in a year as he was given a breather after midweek international duty.
The Argentine came on after an hour and netted from the penalty spot in the 74th minute before tapping in a second soon after from Martin Montoya's deflected low cross.
Barca had gone ahead in the 32nd minute when Cesc Fabregas, playing in Messi's 'false number nine' role, surged into the area and the ball broke free for Adriano to score.
Spain striker David Villa came on at the end to seal the victory after Getafe, who beat Real 2-1 last month, had got one back in the 80th minute when Pablo Sarabia's shot was deflected in by Barca's Javier Mascherano. Earlier, Argentine striker Javier Saviola inspired Malaga to their home win over Levante while Valencia secured their first La Liga victory this season with a 2-1 triumph over promoted Celta Vigo.
Spain striker Fernando Llorente came off the substitutes' bench and scored with his first
touch as he returned to help Athletic Bilbao grab a thrilling 3-3 draw at Espanyol on Sunday.
Spurs win
Andre Villas-Boas secured his first Premier League victory as Tottenham Hotspur manager when his side outclassed Reading 3-1 on Sunday with two goals from England striker
Jermain Defoe
Without a win in their first three games of the season, Tottenham took the lead after 18 minutes when Gylfi Sigurdssdon and Aaron Lennon combined to set up Defoe for a cool finish.
Gareth Bale made it 2-0 after 71 minutes with a scuffed shot from Kyle Walker’s cutback and Defoe continued his hot streak with a superb solo goal, running from inside his own half to clip a shot across Reading keeper Alex McCarthy.
Reading scored a consolation in the 90th minute when Hal Robson-Kanu hooked the ball in at the far post.