Valencia: Sevilla became surprise La Liga leaders Sunday after beating visiting Celta Vigo 2-1 while champions Barcelona drew 1-1 at Valencia thanks to another Lionel Messi strike but are still without a victory in their last four league games.
Atletico Madrid joined Barca on 15 points after scraping a 1-0 win at home to Real Betis with a late strike from substitute Angel Correa to climb above Real Madrid into third in a highly competitive campaign with the top six separated by two points.
The Catalan giants fell behind early in the second minute at a bouncing Mestalla stadium after dreadful defending from a corner allowed Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay to stab home from close range.
Barca continued to leak chances but got a foothold in the game thanks to a superb strike in the 23rd minute from Messi, who has been in inspired form recently.
However, they failed to further breach a superbly organised Valencia defence, racking up a run of three draws and a defeat in four league games, their longest stretch without a win since 2016.
Sevilla are on top with 16 points while Barca and Atletico on level but Valverde’s side are second due to a better goal difference. Real Madrid, beaten 0-1 at Alaves Saturday, are fourth in the standings, locked on 14 points with Espanyol and Alaves.
Sevilla midfielder Pablo Sarabia headed them towards a fourth league win in a row shortly before halftime. However, their task was made easier when Celta’s Mexican defender Nestor Araujo was sent off for two bookings in two minutes before the hour mark.
The hosts’ French striker Wissam Ben Yedder doubled the lead by nudging the ball home from close range in the 61st minute, although the goal had to be verified by the video assistant referee (VAR) before it was awarded.
Celta’s Sofiane Boufal pulled one back with an impressive long-range strike in the 85th but it proved only a consolation for the mid-table visitors, who lost for the second time this term.
Atletico saw little of the ball against Betis but kept them at bay with shrewd defensive work and had far more chances, with Croatian forward Nikola Kalinic hitting the woodwork, although they struggled to score until Diego Simeone shuffled his pack.
Kalinic, who started in place of the injured Diego Costa, made way for Thomas Partey while Correa came on for record signing Thomas Lemar. The Argentine won possession and played a one-two with Partey before arrowing the ball home in the 74th.
Unstoppable Messi
Valencia: Lionel Messi has now scored over 40 goals for 10 consecutive calendar years after he bagged Barcelona’s equaliser during their 1-1 draw with Valencia here Sunday. The Argentinean has scored 41 goals so far in 2018. Messi’s 10-year run of scoring more than 40 goals started in 2009 when he scored a total of 41 goals as a 22-year-old just starting to cement himself as one of the best on the planet after scoring an outstanding 91 goals in 2012.