Barca hold off Getafe to extend lead

But they had to endure a nervous half hour after Gica Craioveanu pulled a goal back for Getafe early in the second half before the pressure was eased when the Romanian was sent off seven minutes from time for a foul on Deco.

The win puts Frank Rijkaard8217;s side nine points clear of fellow Catalans Espanyol at the top of the table.

Espanyol8217;s former Barca striker Dani scored a second-half double 8212; including one from the penalty spot 8212; to give them a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid that allowed Miguel Angel Lotina8217;s side to continue their impressive start to the season.

The result pushed Real Madrid down to third place but they can reclaim second spot and narrow Barca8217;s lead to seven points if they beat visiting Levante on Sunday.

Athletic Bilbao eased concerns about their poor start to the season when they cruised to a classy 3-0 win over Racing Santander, a result that pushed them up to 12th place, four points clear of the relegation zone.