Francesco Totti scored his fifth goal of the season to send AS Roma joint top of Serie A in Italy after a scrappy 1-0 victory over AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico last night.

Roma are now level on 29 points with leaders Chievo, behind only on goals scored, while Milan are now in sixth place, six points behind the Verona club.

Roma coach Fabio Capello was delighted to take a share of top spot, a position they took in week four of last season and which they never surrendered.

"It was a really good performance," said Capello. "We exerted maximum pressure on Milan."

His counterpart, Carlo Ancelotti criticised the decision by referee Pierluigi Collina to disallow a goal by Spanish striker Jose Mari.

"It was a strange decision, he blew for something that never happened," mused the coach.

Juventus kept in touch with Chievo and Roma when a first-half goal from veteran defender Ciro Ferrara and an injury-time clincher from Frenchman David Trezeguet helped them see off Piacenza 2-0 and move ahead of Lazio into fourth place.

In Spain Real Betis moved level on points with leaders Real Madrid as Joao Tomas's penalty on the stroke of half-time gave them a deserved 1-0 win over struggling Real Mallorca.

The Seville giants, promoted back into the Primera Liga this season, are behind the reigning champions only on goal difference after the win.

They edged ahead in first-half injury-time when Portugal striker Tomas scored from the spot after a handball in the area by defender Fernando Nino.

Barcelona showed their hunger to rejoin the title race - reduced to 10 men after the 44th-minute dismissal of Xavi, they closed the gap on the leaders after they weathered a second-half storm to secure a 1-0 win against Villarreal.

Spain midfielder Xavi had been pulling the strings in the Barca midfield at El Madrigal, but he was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the dying stages of the first half. But the visitors held on to the lead given to them by Patrick Kluivert's goal seven minutes before the break.