Mallorca 2 - Las Palmas 1

Mallorca: Leo Franco; Olaizola, Siviero, Nadal, Miguel Soler (Carlos 70'); Finidi, Marcos, Ibagaza, Carreras (Novo 51'); Eto'o, Luque (Biagini 62'). 4-4-2.
Las Palmas: Nacho González; Angel, Alvaro, Schurrer, Paqui, Jarni; Jorge (Pablo Lago 60'), Ramón, Josico; Guayre (Orlando 84'), Turdó (Eloy 70'). 5-3-2.

Team changes: Mallorca: Siviero, Eto'o for Fernando Niño, Biagini / Las Palmas: Ramón for Samways.

Goals:
1-0. 35. Siviero. From close range after corner from left came off Paqui's back.
1-1. 45. Guayre. Placed shot around Leo Franco after Josico headed on cross.
2-1. 91. Carlos. Pushed ball into net after Biagini shot deflected off Finidi.

Mallorca won the battle of the island teams with a last minute goal to move ahead of Barcelona and up to fourth place in the league. With Barça only drawing the day before, Luis Aragonés knew that a victory would take them up to the Champions League spots, and the club gave away 5,000 free tickets in an attempt to create a pressure cooker atmosphere. Eto'o came back in to the side after a one match suspension, although Engonga did not make it after picking up an injury which could take him out for some time. They were up against a Las Palmas side who are gradually sliding down the table, with only seven points from ten games before this one, and a late injury to Vinny Samways prevented Sergio Kresic from putting out the same side for two weeks in a row.

Luque missed an early chance to score after Nacho González let him through, but after that Las Palmas had the best chances, Alvaro heading wide on a couple of occasions. Ibagaza down the centre and the two full backs down the wings pushed forward to little avail against a solid five man defence before Siviero, substituting for the suspended Fernando Niño, finally broke the ice with his first ever goal for the club late in the first half. But just as the referee was about to blow for half time Mallorca's offside trap failed leaving Guayre alone in front of Leo Franco, and the young striker made no mistake placing the ball coolly past the keeper.

Aragonés was clearly not happy, even more so as the game wore on, and he started to bring on his substitutes early in the second half. Turdó missed a good opportunity to get his first goal for his new club after Guayre set him up, and Kresic too resorted to changes, bringing on Eloy and Orlando in the absence of Oulare (who has been left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons). In the end though it was the home team changes that did the trick, Carlos running on to beat González after Biagini's initial shot hid Finidi and rolled conveniently to him. It took Mallorca to their highest ever points total at this stage in the competition, and with six games without defeat they are one of the most on-form teams in the league. Las Palmas drop down to fifteenth, and although there is no cause for concern as yet, an extended run of bad results could drag them in to the relegation battle.