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Real Madrid edged Valencia 3-2 to stay with Spanish leader Barcelona, which marked its last domestic game of 2009 with a 1-0 win over crosstown rival Espanyol yesterday.
Ezequiel Garay headed Xabi Alonso's long free kick sharply into goal in the 83rd minute for Madrid's winner that came only three minutes after Joaquin Sanchez equalized for Valencia for the second time.
Gonzalo Higuain scored twice while David Villa struck his league-leading 12th goal to cancel out the Argentina striker's 54th-minute opener.
Madrid stayed within five points of Barcelona, which couldn't have asked for a better sending off for its Club World Cup date against Mexico's Atlante on Wednesday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic made no mistake in beating 'keeper Carlos Karmeni with a 39th-minute penalty shot into the top corner after Xavi Hernandez was fouled. Ibrahimovic's 11th league goal sent Espanyol crashing to its fourth loss in a row in the 151st meeting between the teams.
"We should really value this victory because it comes from a derby and because we're tired from playing so many games," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said.
Barcelona leads with 39 points, although it has played one game more than Madrid, which has 34 points.
Earlier, Mikel San Jose and Markel Susaeta scored second-half goals to lead Athletic Bilbao to a 2-1 win at Zaragoza, a defeat which cost coach Marcelino Garcia his job. The club said Jose Aurelio Gay would take over as interim coach.
"You can't argue against what the results say," Zaragoza president Eduardo Bandres said in reference to only three wins in 16 games in all competitions. "The balance has been mostly negative."
Italian Serie A
Juventus' troubles continued in a 3-1 loss at newly promoted Bari, with playmaker Diego missing a penalty kick for the 27-time Serie A champion.
Juventus was eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday after a 4-1 home loss to Bayern Munich. The Bianconeri beat Serie A leader Inter Milan last weekend but risk falling further behind the four-time defending champ.
"We're lacking continuity," Juventus president Jean-Claude Blanc said.
Cristian Molinaro and Mauro Camoranesi exited for Juventus with apparent injuries, and the game was likely the last for Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon before knee surgery today.
Earlier, Napoli and Cagliari played to a 3-3 draw featuring a frenetic finish.
Napoli took a 2-0 lead after 65 minutes. Cagliari rallied with three scores in the final 15 minutes -- including a potential match-winner from striker Jeda in the 90th.
Mariano Bogliacino equalized for Napoli in the sixth minute of added time, heading in from close range.
Scottish Premier League
Celtic substitute Marc-Antoine Fortune scored the winning goal a minute after coming on in a 3-2 victory over Motherwell. Fortune entered the field in the 78th minute and soon after played a one-two with Scott McDonald before striking the ball into the top corner from just outside the penalty area. Rangers beat St. Johnstone 3-0 with Kris Boyd scoring two goals.
Briefly
In France, Marseille moved within three points of leader Bordeaux in Ligue 1 by beating Boulogne 2-0. Bordeaux will face Lyon today ... In Germany, Eljero Elia scored twice as Hamburg won 4-0 at Nuremberg to snap a seven-game winless streak ... In Greece, Sotiris Ninis scored a late goal to give Panathinaikos a 1-0 win over Iraklis. The win lifted Panathinaikos to the top of the standings with 35 points, two more than defending champion Olympiakos, which plays host to Panthrakikos today.