Deportivo La Coruña 1 - Levante 0

Deportivo: Molina; Manuel Pablo (Héctor 64'), César, Pablo Amo, Romero; Scaloni, Sergio; Munitis, Valerón (Mauro Silva 82'), Luque (Fran 68'); Diego Tristán. 4-2-3-1.
Levante: Mora; Descarga (Juanma 86'), Culebras, Jesule, Harte; Ettien, Rivera, Celestini, Nacho (Congo 80'); Sergio García, Manchev. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Deportivo: César, Luque for Capdevila, Fran / Levante: Descarga for Pinillos.

Goals:
1-0. 54. Diego Tristán (penalty). After Jesule ruled to have fouled César in area.

Deportivo La Coruña got back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over high flying Levante, but only thanks to a hotly disputed Diego Tristán penalty. The Galicians were in need of a victory after a run of poor results, and started off strongly. Munitis and César both tested Mora in the first minute, and Luque almost scored the goal of the season with a shot from the halfway line which bounced off the crossbar.

The visitors were always a danger though, as their second place in the table shows, and Ettien came close to putting his side ahead with a header just wide of goal. But Depor came out strongly after the restart, with Valerón shooting just past the post early on.

A few minutes later referee Rodríguez Santiago waved away an appeal for a penalty on Luque, but soon afterwards he did award a much less clear spot kick when César fell theatrically under a challenge by Jesule. Diego Tristán tucked away a first kick, but had to repeat the act (which he did) after a Deportivo player encroached in the area.

It proved to be the only goal of the match, and the only other event worthy of note was the return of Mauro Silva, who came on for the last ten minutes after a lengthy injury. Depor had got the three points they needed, and Irureta can breathe more easily.