Deportivo La Coruña 1 - Real Murcia 0

Deportivo: Molina; Manuel Pablo, Pablo Amo, Andrade, Capdevila; Sergio, Duscher; Víctor (Héctor 82'), Fran (Djalminha 60'), Luque (Munitis 46'); Diego Tristán. 4-2-3-1.
Real Murcia: Juanmi; Zamora, Hurtado, Azkárate; Valera, Acciari (Cuadrado 57'), Carreras (Clavero 78'); Gancedo, Richi, Luis García; Esnaider (David Karanka 65'). 3-3-3-1.

Team changes: Deportivo: Manuel Pablo, Pablo Amo, Fran, Luque, Diego Tristán for Scaloni, César, Valerón, Munitis, Pandiani / Murcia: Juanmi, Luis García for Bonano, Jensen.

Goals:
1-0. 41. Capdevila. Scored from left of goal after Víctor played on corner.

A depleted Deportivo La Coruña side beat bottom club Real Murcia 1-0 to keep up their challenge for the top spots. Irureta rested several players for the midweek Champions' League tie in Milan, with Naybet, Mauro Silva and Pandiani starting on the bench and Valerón, Scaloni and Romero not even called up for this match. But their replacements were up to the task, and recorded their first league win in five matches.

The Galicians got off to a fiery start, with a goal disallowed and a long shot from Luque hitting the post in the first three minutes. But Juanmi and his young defence stood fast until four minutes before the break, when Capdevila bundled the ball in the net from close up after Víctor played on Fran's corner.

Murcia's only real effort in the first half was a header from Gancedo which Molina saved with relative ease, and Irureta decided there was little danger from John Toshack's side and took off Luque and then Fran, giving another run out to Munitis and Djalminha.

Duscher crashed a long shot against the bar around the hour mark, but the visitors fought on, and Gancedo could have saved a point if his header had not gone just wide of the post in the dying minutes. Murcia ended the day though some fifteen points away from safety, and even Toshack will not be able to save them this time. Depor move ahead of Barcelona to third spot pending the Catalans' game on Sunday.