MADRID — Unbeaten La Liga leader Barcelona ended 2012 on a high when Lionel Messi struck his 91st goal of the year in a 3-1 win at Real Valladolid while its arch-rival Real Madrid slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Malaga. It was the perfect tonic for Barca following the news that coach Tito Vilanova had to have throat surgery last Thursday. The 44-year-old was released from hospital earlier Saturday and was absent from Valladolid's Jose Zorrilla stadium as Barca racked up a record 16th win in 17 games this season. Real's woes deepened after the stuttering champion suffered a second consecutive setback following last weekend's 2-2 draw at home to Espanyol. Coach Jose Mourinho sprung a surprise by leaving captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas on the bench and the defeat left Real 16 points adrift of Barca. It is seven behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, who won 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo Friday, and its lead over Malaga in fourth was cut to two points. Mourinho told a post-match news conference Real was “facing an insurmountable gap” but dismissed a question about whether he feared for his job. Barca has 49 points from 17 matches, a record for this stage of a La Liga campaign, and the only match it failed to win was a 2-2 draw at home to Real in October. Atletico, resurgent under Argentine coach Diego Simeone, has 40, with Real on 33 and Malaga, which is coached by Mourinho's predecessor at Real, Manuel Pellegrini, on 31. Valladolid kept a dominant Barca at bay until two minutes before halftime when Messi, who earlier shook the frame of the goal with a free kick, played Jordi Alba through on the left and Xavi turned his low cross into the net. Messi uncharacteristically fluffed a simple chance early in the second half but the Argentine World Player of the Year doubled Barca's lead in the 59th minute with a trademark run and finish. Xavi's clever back heel set the Argentine on his way and Messi dinked the ball between a defender's legs before firing a low shot into the far corner. It was his 26th La Liga goal of the campaign and his 91st of 2012, extending the calendar year record he broke earlier this month when he overhauled Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old mark of 85. Javi Guerra pulled a goal back for Valladolid in the 89th minute before Cristian Tello added a third for Barca in added time moments after coming off the bench. Real Betis, which is fifth, slipped three points behind Andalusian rival Malaga with a 2-1 defeat at home to Real Mallorca. Mallorca ended a run of nine defeats and three draws stretching back to the beginning of October and is 16th on 16 points. Athletic Bilbao's erratic form continued when it lost 2-0 at home to Real Zaragoza, leaving last season's Europa League finalist in 13th on 21 points, a point behind Zaragoza in 12th. Osasuna stayed mired in the relegation places after a 2-1 defeat at home to Granada, which is 15th. — Reuters
