Sevilla 0 - Real Sociedad 1

Sevilla: Notario; Redondo, Javi Navarro, Pablo Alfaro, David; Samways (Gallardo 80'), Casquero (Víctor Salas 84'); Marcos Vales, Reyes, Fredi (Toedtli 69'); Antoñito. 4-2-3-1.
Real Sociedad: Alberto; López Rekarte, Jauregi (Kvarme 69'), Schürrer, Aranzábal; Tayfun, Aranburu; Karpin, Nihat (Khokhlov 74'), De Pedro; Kovacevic. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Sevilla: Redondo, Samways, Reyes for Oscar, Gallardo, Víctor Salas / Real: Alberto, Tayfun for Westerveld, Xabi Alonso.

Goals:
0-1. 71. Karpin. Beat Notario on far post after De Pedro rolled ball across from left.

Real Sociedad kept up their amazing unbeaten run, beating Sevilla 0-1 to move even further clear at the top of the table. It was not an easy victory though, and without the suspended Xabi Alonso in midfield they were bettered by their opponents in the first half. Alberto came back in goal in place of Westerveld, who was suffering from gastro-enteritis, and he made two important saves from Casquero to keep the scores level at the break. Referee Esquinas Torres let Real off a penalty when Jauregi appeared to handle in the area, but he also turned down appeals from the visitors for a possible penalty on Nihat.

Sevilla slackened off though in the second half, and in the seventieth minute De Pedro found Karpin with a cross from the left for him to beat Notario on the far post. Caparrós threw on Gallardo and Víctor Salas, and some of the crowd whistled at Samways as he came off after a poor performance for him. In injury time substitute Toedtli headed the last chance wide, and Javi Navarro almost put through his own net with a bad back pass which beat Notario but bounced over the bar. A bad result though for the Andalucians, who ended the day down in the bottom three.