Valencia have 23 points from 10 games, the same number as reigning champions Real Madrid who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Saturday.

Mallorca went behind to the 2001/02 champions within two minutes, Jorge Lopez getting the early opening goal from a penalty after Fernando Nino hacked down Oliveira and got shown a red card.

Oliveira then went on the rampage and got Valencia's second just five minutes later and another on the stroke of half-time.

The Brazilian, signed from champions Santos during the summer, completed his hattrick after 76 minutes before Xisco Munoz completed the rout two minutes before the whistle.

Deportivo started the weekend as the league leaders but slumped to third, one point behind Valencia and Real, in the wake of their O-O draw at struggling Murcia on Saturday.

At the other end of the table, bottom-club Espanyol crashed 2-0 at home to fellow strugglers Real Zaragoza on Sunday to increase their plight and the pressure on their coach Javier Clemente.

Three weeks ago Clemente was given four games to turn around the fortunes of the Barcelona-based club after getting just two points in their first six outings but since then he has lost three times and won just once.

Clemente and his team were whistled from the field of the Montjuic Olympic stadium after the latest debacle.

"I can understand how the fans feel because they have not seen a victory this season in this stadium," lamented Clemente.

"I talked with the president and he didn't enjoy the whistles but these situations are best treated by a calm approach," added Clemente, providing the best Espanyol defence of the night.

Zaragoza took the lead after just 11 minutes, when their Argentine midfielder Luciano Galletti connected with a cross from David Villa, added to Espanyol's misery 10 minutes later when Fernando Soriano got Zaragoza's second.

Espanyol midfielder Angel Morales was sent off just before half-time but the hosts avoided conceding any further goals in the second half.

Neighbours Barcelona stay in fifth place after a thrilling 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad.

"I think that's the first time I've seen this team play well this season," said Barca coach Frank Rijkaard.

The Catalan's Thiago Motta opened the scoring with an out standing header, although he later turned went from hero to villain when he got his second yellow card 16 minutes from the whistle.

The initiative swung back to the San Sebastian side when Igor Jauregi and Javier De Pedro got two goals within three minutes early in the second half.

Barca's Marc Overmars got arguably the best goal of the game after 70 minutes, using his speed to go past two Real Sociedad players before blasting the ball home.

Five minutes later, Sociedad's Valery Karpin then put the hosts ahead before Gabri Garcia saved a point for 10-man Barca.

Curiously, all six scorers were getting their first league goal of the season.

Atletico Madrid came from behind at Real Betis to win 2-1 and record their fourth successive victory.

Betis's Assuncao, perhaps the best free kick exponent in the Spanish first division even taking into account Roberto Carlos and David Beckham, fired home one of his trademark deadball thunderbolts after 19 minutes.

However Atletico's teenage captain Fernando Torres got two goals to grab the victory.

His first was a long range effort after 40 minutes while his second of the game, and his seventh of the season, came from the spot shortly after the break after Betis's defender Washington Tais had brought down Demis Nikolaidis.

"We are rewriting the pages of Atletico Madrid history," boasted Atletico coach Gregorio Manzano, in a rare display of smug satisfaction.

Osasuna's ambitions of increasing the pressure on the top three in the Spanish first division came unstuck when they went down 1-0 at Villarreal.

Villarreal's Antonio Guayre put a loose ball in the net for the only goal of the game after 21 minutes