The game turned against the visitors when Depor's Brazilian defender Filipe cut in from the left flank and crossed to the near post in the 58th minute, with the ball flying past keeper Iker Casillas off Pepe's outstretched knee.

"I don't think we played a good game but I think a 0-0 draw would have been a fair result," Bernd Schuster, Real coach, said.

The win for struggling Deportivo was a boost in their fight to avoid the drop.

The 2004 Champions League semi-finalists are now three points above the relegation zone.

Bilbao keeper hit by bottle

The match between Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera was abandoned midway through the second half with the score at 2-1 after Bilbao goalkeeper Armando was hit in the face by a bottle thrown from the stands.

Bilbao were leading 2-1 during the second half when a fan behind the goal threw what looked like a small plastic bottle full of liquid at the visiting keeper.

Armando, who was retrieving the ball for a goal kick, was treated on the pitch and taken off on a stretcher before receiving stitches to a cut near his eye.

Referee Carlos Clos Gomez stopped the game with about 18 minutes remaining.

"Armando suffered a blow to the right eye and has bruising and a cut in the same area. He has had stitches," Bilbao said on their website.

Betis condemned the incident on their website.

"The aggressor was immediately detained by the stadium's private security and will be prevented from attending future sporting events," the club said.

Fabiano on the double

In the late game, Brazil striker Luis Fabiano took his goal tally for the season to 22 after scoring a double in Sevilla's 2-0 win at Valencia.

Fabiano's first was a well-taken free-kick in the 11th minute and the second came soon after as he diverted Seydou Keita's long-range shot past Timo Hildebrand.

Although defender Raul Albiol pulled one back for the hosts at the end, Valencia and their under-fire coach Ronald Koeman left the pitch to a barrage of whistles from the home crowd.

Sevilla climbed to fourth place with 45 points, one ahead of Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander who play Levante and Getafe respectively on Sunday.

At the foot of the table, Real Murcia's chances of avoiding relegation suffered a blow when they lost 4-2 at fellow strugglers Recreativo Huelva as French striker Florent Sinama Pongolle bagged a brace for the home side.