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 Rijkaard’s side nine points clear of fellow Catalans Espanyol at the top of the table.

Espanyol’s former Barca striker Dani scored a second-half double — including one from the penalty spot — to give them a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid that allowed Miguel Angel Lotina’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 Barca’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.