Real Madrid have 61 points from 28 games with Valencia on 57 points.

Rufete opened the scoring six minutes before the break with a stunning volley and added his second three minutes into injury time at the end of the game when he finished off a clever counter-attack initiated by the young Malian midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.

The defeat means that Celta are now in serious trouble, third from bottom with three to go down and five points from safety.

Barcelona's consolidated their bid for a Champions League slot next season when they moved up to third after beating bottom club Murcia 2-0 for their eighth straight victory.

Goals from Javier Saviola and Ronaldinho secured Barca's three points, which saw them move up to their highest position this season on a day when a minute's silence was observed at all games for the victims of Thursday's train bombings in Madrid.

Barca themselves took the field at Murcia dressed in white T-Shirts with the slogan, "No to terrorism, yes to peace," and every player in the Spanish first division wore black armbands.

"It is difficult to even think about playing a game in circumstances like this," Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said before the game.

Afterwards the Dutchman was equally, and appropriately, restrained.

"This was not our best game of the season but on a day like today victory was all that counted," said Rijkaard, who was an advocate for suspending this weekend's matches.

Saviola opened the scoring for Barcelona after just five minutes when he got a foot to a Gabri Garcia free kick.

Ronaldinho clinched the victory with his 11th goal of the season just after the hour, jigging his way through the Murcia defence after Marc Overmars cross found its way to his feet.

Deportivo La Coruna's dismal recent run of form on the domestic front continued when they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at Real Mallorca on Sunday and slipped to fourth.

It was the Galician's third consecutive loss and almost certainly ends Deportivo's interest in the championship race as they are now 11 points adrift of Real Madrid.

Deportivo gifted Mallorca their first goal after Jorge Andrade was robbed on the left wing by Andrija Delibasic, and the Serb centred for Fernado Correa to get the opener after just five minutes.

Former Spanish international Pedro Munitis equalised for the visitors on 23 minutes but from there it was generally downhill for Deportivo.

Teenage defender Ivan Ramis headed Mallorca in front 10 minutes before the break and then Samuel Eto'o added to the lead from the penalty spot after 59 minutes.

Eto'o got his 10th goal of the season after the luckless Andrade was controversially judged brought down.

Djalminha closed the gap 10 minutes before the end, to give Deportivo some glimmer of hope of a late

recovery, but Jesus Perera restored Mallorca's two goal lead four minutes later.

Deportivo's day went form bad to worse when defender Cesar Martin picked up his second yellow card in injury time.

On election day in Spain, it was appropriate that Salva Ballesta continued his campaign for an international recall, getting his Malaga's winner three minutes into injury time for a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Salva, the Spanish first division's leading scorer four years ago, got his last cap three years ago but his 16th of this season makes him the top Spanish striker in the first division.

Athletic stay in fifth despite the loss but there is only three points between themselves and Malaga in 11th.