Nip and tuck at the summit of the Liga Iberdrola

Real Sociedad 4-0 Oiartzun KE

There was plenty of fine football, a host of goals and no shortage of excitement on offer at Zubieta as Real Sociedad put Oiartzun to the sword. This emphatic victory was just what the doctor ordered for La Real after a crushing late equaliser denied them the local bragging rights in Friday's Basque derby against Athletic Club.

The opening stages were evenly contested, with neither side managing to fully impose themselves on proceedings. However, as the minutes ticked by, the hosts began to get on top and carved out the first clear-cut chances. Nevertheless, it wasn't until after the break that they made their dominance tell.

Nahikari Garcia got back on the goal trail after her drought, bagging herself a hat-trick to offer a timely reminder of her status as one of the hottest properties in the division. On 82 minutes Nerea Eizagirre got in on the act to complete the rout with her side's fourth.

The San Sebastian outfit claimed all three points to propel themselves further up the standings, and in the wake of a somewhat lacklustre start to the campaign, La Real are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

FC Barcelona 1-1 Valencia CF

On recent evidence, the goals would have appeared to have dried up for the previously free-scoring Azulgranas and this top-of-the-table clash followed a similar pattern to the Catalan's latest outings. Barça once again came storming out of the blocks, fashioning chance after chance in the opening five minutes and it looked decidedly as if it would only be a matter of time before the floodgates would open.

On this occasion, the hosts did get their noses in front. An inch-perfect cross from Marta Torrejon from the right flank picked out Andressa Alves, who produced a powerful downward header which flew into the net. The Brazilian's form in front of goal has certainly been a positive in recent weeks. The hosts utterly dominated in the first half, but Las Che upped things after the interval to get themselves back into the game.

After the restart, Vicky Losada tried her luck from distance on two occasions, but Esther Sullastres came to the rescue to ensure that Valencia didn't fall any further behind.

Once again, Barcelona would be made to pay for their missed chances, as Xavi Llorens' charges were as equally unconvincing as they had been against Real Betis, Athletic Club and Oiartzun.

Valencia restored parity when Claudia Zornoza and Maripaz Vilas combined, as a flicked header from the Galician-born forward squeezed inside the post and past the despairing dive of Sandra Paños in the Barcelona goal. There were still 15 minutes on the clock and things could have got a lot worse for the hosts when Zornoza came a whisker away from snatching victory for Cristian Toro's troops.

This stalemate against the league leaders will provide Valencia with a real boost, whilst a point for the Catalans means that they will have to get something from their trip to Atletico Madrid if they're to head into the Christmas break top of the tree.

F.Albacete 3-3 Sporting Huelva

If there's one feature which characterises the beautiful game it would be the excitement and fighting spirit served up in every single minute of each game and that was most certainly in evidence at the Ciudad Andres Iniesta stadium in a pulsating encounter between Albacete and Sporting Huelva.

This thrilling rollercoaster saw the hosts take the lead on no less than three occasions, but the Andalusians simply weren't prepared to give up the ghost and Cristina Martin Prieto struck a last-gasp leveller to salvage a point for the visitors.

Macarena Portales put the hosts into the ascendancy with just eight minutes played and this early setback served to shake Huelva into action, although they didn't manage to draw themselves level until after the break.

Soon after the restart, Martin-Prieto and Patricia Sochor combined to tee up Sandra Bernal, who fired home to make it 1-1. However, the visitors' joy was short-lived as the hosts went straight up the other end and regained the lead when Carla Bautista fired past Thais Picarte.

Once again, Mila Martinez's side were unable to sustain their lead and Jenni Benitez struck to level matters. Carla was again on target to put the hosts back into the driving seat, but both sides ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils after Martin-Prieto pounced to make it 3-3 with five minutes remaining. 

Rayo Vallecano 2-3 Athletic Club

Las Leonas came out all guns blazing and their high-octane start almost suggested that they knew what was in store at Vallecas. The visitors didn't want a repeat of last season's reverse against Rayo and with barely a minute played, sharpshooter Yulema Corres handed them an early advantage.

Despite taking the lead, the Basques didn't ease off, as they dominated possession and laid siege to the Rayo goal. Alicia Gomez was single-handedly managing to keep the visitors at bay, but she was powerless to do anything about Nekane Diez's thumping strike. Damaris Egurrola provided the assist and Nekane, who was adjudged to be marginally onside, powered the ball home to put her side two goals to the good before the half-hour mark. The visitors continued to enjoy the upper hand and weren't content to settle on their two-goal cushion and indeed their worst fears would later be confirmed.

Each time that the ball falls at the feet of Natalia Pablos a wave of expectation spreads amongst the home faithful. Right on the stroke of half-time, the Rayo forward picked the ball up outside the area and drove into the box, before turning her defender inside out and finishing sweetly to reduce the deficit.

With the second period just five minutes old, Natalia was once again on the mark, this time she netted after being quickest to react when the ball crashed back off the crossbar. However, just 10 minutes later, Athletic again got themselves back into the ascendancy. Corres was unable to get on the end of an inviting cross from Ainhoa Moraza, but Joana Flaviano was directly behind her and she sent the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-2 to the visitors.

There was still time for one last chance as Rayo were awarded a late free-kick. Natalia unleashed a wicked effort, but was foiled by a combination of Ainhoa Tirapu and the crossbar. Athletic took all three points back to Bilbao, but they were really made to work for this win against a valiant Rayo side.

Granadilla Egatesa 0-0 Atletico Madrid

The Canary Islanders are proving to be a tough nut to crack this term and any side that comes up against them certainly know that they've been in a game. Last matchday saw Granadilla hold high-flying Valencia and this time round it was Las Rojiblancas who came unstuck against Tony Ayala's side.

In the wake of Barcelona's stalemate against Las Ches on Wednesday, Atleti had a golden opportunity to move onto 35 points and go joint-top with the Catalans, but in the end Angel Villacampa's troops had to settle for a point in Tenerife.

Atletico made all of the running, but they were repelled by some stout Granadilla defending. Indeed, the hosts managed to completely frustrate the visitors, who were forced to look to the flanks in a bid to open up the Granadilla backline. When Atleti did find a way through, they were denied by an assured Noelia Gil between the sticks.

After the break, Granadilla could have taken the lead themselves through Luana Spindler, but the Brazilian forward squandered the opportunity and the game ended all square. This result sees Granadilla secure a precious point, whilst it really does very little to aid Atletico's cause at the summit.

Santa Teresa CD 0-3 UD Levante

The Valencians could ill afford another slip-up in their pursuit of Barcelona and Atletico at the top and they delivered the goods here with a commanding display. Charlyn Corral and Maria Jose Perez form one of the league's most potent strike forces and they showcased all of their goalscoring prowess as Levante made a real statement in Badajoz. A brace from the Canary Islander and another from the Mexican were enough to see the visitors get back to winning ways in emphatic fashion.

There can little doubt that Maria Jose was the star of the show here, as she set Las Granotas on their way with a sublime effort which nestled into the top corner, before turning provider for Charlyn and then bagging her second of the day to put the visitors 3-0 up.

With Barcelona and Atletico only managing to secure draws, Levante now find themselves right in the thick of things at the summit. Andres Tudela's side have clearly put the 5-0 reverse that Atleti inflicted on them two matchdays ago behind them, as they set their sights on the top two, with Las Rojiblancas now just a point ahead of them, whilst they've cut Barcelona's advantage to two points.

RCD Espanyol 2-0 UD Tacuense

The Catalan outfit claimed a vital victory here over Tacuense, with the hosts continuing their climb as they banish the memories of their early-season woes. Las Pericas enjoyed the lion's share of possession and chances at the Ciudad Deportiva Dani Jarque, but it wasn't until the second half that they made their superiority tell.

The Barcelona-based side were rewarded for their fine display on 61' when Nuria Garrote made the breakthrough, finishing with real aplomb when clean through. Espanyol doubled their advantage in the final stages courtesy of Ines Juan's strike.

This victory represents far more than just another three points for the Catalans and it gives them the confidence to keep on looking up the table as they move away from the dreaded drop zone.

Zaragoza CFF 2-1 Real Betis

Zaragoza are improving with every passing matchday and they're now sitting pretty in eighth after a hard-fought triumph over a stubborn Betis side. Las Verdiblancas made the brighter start and they forged ahead through the prolific Paula Moreno, who once again did what she does best.

However, the Aragonese outfit weren't about to crumble and they worked their way back into the contest to take maximum points and propel themselves up into the Copa de la Reina qualification berths. Natalia Cebolla levelled matters, before Clara Martinez completed the comeback to seal all three points for the hosts.