La Liga round-up
By Mark Buckingham
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Valencia lifted the pressure on Claudio Ranieri by winning 2-0 at Malaga.
Valencia lifted the pressure on Claudio Ranieri by ending a run of ten games without a win at Malaga.Ranieri's position as coach of the reigning champions has been under threat in recent weeks due to Valencia's poor form.
They travelled to Malaga on the back of a woeful sequence of results which had left them lagging behind Barcelona in the race for La Liga.
But they were lifted on their travels as Bernardo Corradi eased the nerves by breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half time.
Francisco Xisco put the game to bed four minutes after the interval to present the Che with their first victory in 11 matches.
Deportivo La Coruna, like Valencia, have been in inconsistent form this term but they followed the lead of Ranieri's side by also winning 2-0 away from home.
The Galician outfit are now firmly in the UEFA Champions League chasing pack as they vanquished Villarreal on their travels.
Diego Tristan netted the first goal on the half hour while Albert Luque's effort just before the hour mark sealed the win.
To compound a disappointing day for Villarreal, the hosts had Rodolfo Arruabarrena sent off for a second bookable offence on 71 minutes.
Click below for an individual match summary:
Malaga 0-2 Valencia
Villarreal 0-2 Deportivo
