Mallorca recovered from their European Cup Winners' Cup final defeat midweek to beat Extremadura 2-0 and cling on to second place in the Spanish first division yesterday.

But the race for the runners-up spot behind Barcelona, who wrapped up the title on Saturday with a 4-1 win at Alaves, remained tight yesterday, with Real Madrid, Celta Vigo and Deportivo Coruna all recording victories.

With three games left to play, Mallorca are a single point clear of Real Madrid, who had two goals from Fernando Morientes and a Raul Gonzalez penalty to thank for their 3-2 win at Tenerife.

Celta Vigo, who saw off Oviedo 3-1, and Deportivo Coruna, who edged past Real Zaragoza 2-1, are both a point further back on 61, with Deportivo ahead by virtue of their better head-to-head record.

Valencia slipped further off the pace, however, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad. Claudio Ranieri's side are now sixth on 59 points.