Leader Barcelona beats Villarreal 2-1

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Seydou Keita and Thierry Henry scored second-half goals Sunday to help Barcelona rally to a 2-1 win over Villarreal and take a 10-point lead in the Spanish league.

Villarreal opened the scoring at its El Madrigal Stadium through Ruben "Cani" Gracia just after the interval.

Barcelona's win, which came despite the 74th-minute dismissal of defender Gerard Pique, extends its unbeaten league run to 15 games -- 13 of which it has won. Coach Pep Guardiola's team hasn't lost since the opening day of the season.

Barcelona's total of 41 points from 16 games is the highest at this stage in Spanish league history.

It is also enough to give the Catalan team the unofficial title of "winter champion," awarded at the season's halfway stage of 19 rounds. Even if it lost the next three matches, Barcelona could not be caught by any of its pursuers.

Villarreal, which has won only one of its last six league games, stayed sixth.

Meanwhile, Sevilla rose to second place with 31 points despite being held to a 0-0 draw by lowly Mallorca.

Also on Sunday in the year's last round of games, it was: Deportivo La Coruna 4, Recreativo Huelva 1; Numancia 4, Valladolid 3; Osasuna 5, Getafe 2; Real Betis 0, Athletic Bilbao 1; Racing Santander 1, Malaga 1; Sporting Gijon 1, Almeria 0.

Following Barcelona and Sevilla are Atletico Madrid and Valencia, which have 30, one more than Real Madrid and Villarreal. On Saturday, Madrid beat Valencia 1-0, while Atletico won 3-2 at Espanyol.

Barcelona had slightly the better of a fast and furious first half and came close when Henry fired narrowly wide in the 13th. Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez also made impressive saves from Henry in the fourth minute and Sergio Busquets in the 27th.

Striker Giuseppe Rossi spurned Villarreal's best chance before halftime when he shot wide after a swift counterattack in the 17th.

However, Rossi atoned for his miss in the 48th when he delivered a deft floated pass into space that was seized upon by midfielder Cani, who chipped the ball past goalkeeper Victor Valdes for his first goal since May 2007.

Keita leveled seven minutes later when he jumped ahead of advancing goalkeeper Lopez to head in Daniel Alves' cross from the right.

Barcelona then took complete control, and Henry's sidefooted volley from a finely judged pass by Xavi Hernandez brought the second goal in the 66th.

Pique's sending off for a second yellow card spurred Villarreal, only for substitutes Guille Franco and Nihat Kahveci to each waste clear opportunities in the closing stages.

Sevilla came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute when right winger Diego Capel headed on to the bar from Jesus Navas' cross at Mallorca's Ono Stadium.

Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez, whose side was eliminated from the UEFA Cup on Thursday, was sent to the stands in the 62nd for protesting a refereeing decision.

While the draw lifted Mallorca out of the relegation zone, the team has gained just two points from six games amid uncertainty about its future after the club's president was twice changed in recent days.

Deportivo stayed in seventh place after beating lowly Recreativo for its fourth straight home win. Albert Lopo opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Sergio Gonzalez converted a penalty 11 minutes later.

Adrian Colunga reduced the deficit with a 23rd-minute penalty, only for Rodolfo Bodipo to head Deportivo's third goal in the 44th before Filipe Luis sealed the win in the 90th.

Numancia staged a stirring comeback to inflict Valladolid's first defeat in seven games.

The home team trailed 3-1 until Javier Del Pino, Carlos Aranda and Gorka Brit all scored in the final nine minutes.

Jose Javier Barkero had given Numancia a 13th-minute lead, with Valladolid replying through Henok Goitom in the 35th and 76th and Angel Vivar Dorado in the 53rd.

Last-place Osasuna ended Getafe's four-game unbeaten run and gained only its second win of the season thanks to a spectacular first-half display.

Osasuna raced to a four-goal lead by halftime through Jaroslav Plasil, Juanfran Torres, substitute Walter Pandiani and Javad Nekounam.

Roberto Soldado reduced the deficit with a goal against his former club in the 66th, with Hector Font adding Osasuna's fifth in the 81st. Soldado scored Getafe's second goal in injury time.

Javi Martinez's 43rd-minute header brought Bilbao its first away win of the season at Betis.

Santander, eliminated from the UEFA Cup despite beating Manchester City 3-1 on Thursday, drew with visiting Malaga.

Nabil Baha scored for Malaga in the 39th, with Juan Valera equalizing in the 67th.

Francisco Maldonado's 28th-minute header gave Gijon a victory over Almeria, which is now winless in five games. Reports said Almeria coach Gonzalo Arconada has been fired.

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