Özil rescues Real from slip-up

Real Madrid overcame another stiff test in this most testing of seasons in the freezing Nuevo Zorrilla, coming from behind twice on Saturday night to see off a determined Valladolid and keep its slim title chances alive ahead of the winter break.

Mesut Özil earned the plaudits after a commanding performance that went some way to dispelling fears that the German wizard was destined never to recapture his form of last season. "This is the Özil we all know and we all want to see," said Real's assistant coach, Aitor Karanka, after the match.

Real has not enjoyed falling behind this season — at both Sevilla and Betis José Mourinho's team failed to rally from a goal down and left six points strewn on the turf of the Sánchez Pizjuán and the Villamarín. When Manucho, Valladolid's powerful former Manchester United striker, thumped home from close range after six minutes when his defense failed to clear a corner, Mourinho buried his face in his scarf and muttered darkly. But Karim Benzema, after a dry spell in front of goal, equalized shortly after, only for Manucho to steal a march on Sergio Ramos to head home his second.

Enter Özil. The German midfielder exchanged neat passes with Benzema and slotted home under Dani Hernández just before the break, a psychological boost for a Real side that was not enjoying the physicality of the home team.

An exquisite Özil free-kick sealed the three points but the yellow card he received for a desperate challenge at the other end evidenced home side's determination to force something from the match. As the clock wounds down, Real was reduced to time-wasting. At least for the moment, Özil has bought his side a little breathing space.

Elsewhere, both Málaga and Levante cruised to 4-0 home wins to embellish their European credentials. Granada was unfortunate to leave La Rosaleda with nothing to show from a fine performance that warranted a tighter scoreline. Mallorca, on the other hand, was lucky to escape the Ciutat de Valencia without further punishment as Juan Ignacio Martínez's team turned on the style.

Pleasingly for both JIM and Manuel Pellegrini, both routs featured four separate scorers. Of particular satisfaction for Málaga's coach was thumping Juan Antonio Anquela's side by four goals to nil — the same scoreline of the infamous Alcorconazo, when Anquela's third-tier side thrashed Pellegrini's Real Madrid by the same margin, a defeat which contributed to the Chilean losing his Bernabéu job.

Ernesto Valverde's first league game in charge of Valencia garnered a victory, although not of the sort that will instantly win over the Mestalla. Away at Osasuna, a tough ground to go to at any time but particularly when the temperature is below freezing, Valverde opted for a more defensive line-up than his predecessor, Mauricio Pellegrino, had employed. Tino Costa and the veteran David Albelda formed the shield in front of the back four, at the expense of creative midfielder Fernando Gago.

The Argentinean's evening was further soured when he left the field injured seven minutes after being sent on as a substitute. Nonetheless, a single Roberto Soldado goal handed Valverde something that Pellegrino was not afforded during his tenure; an away win. "I haven't had time for much; a couple of training sessions, a couple of chats, nothing more. When you arrive in the middle of a season, there isn't much you can do. The players were focused on what they had to do and it was a deserved victory thanks to them," said Valverde.

Other results. Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla; Real Sociedad 1-1 Getafe; Athletic 1-0 Celta.