Sevilla 2 - Athletic Bilbao 0

Sevilla: Esteban; Sergio Ramos, Pablo Alfaro, Aitor Ocio, David; Renato, Martí (Pablo Ruíz 90'); Daniel Alves, Baptista, Jesuli (Jesús Navas 86'); Antoñito (Carlitos 52'). 4-2-3-1.
Athletic: Aranzubia; Iraola, Luis Prieto, Murillo, Casas (Del Horno 79'); Gurpegui, Orbaiz; Etxeberría, Tiko (Yeste 58'), Ezquerro; Urzaiz (Azkorra 65'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Sevilla: Aitor Ocio, Renato, Jesuli, Antoñito for Javi Navarro, Casquero, Antonio López, Carlitos / Athletic: Aranzubia, Etxeberría, Tiko for Pampín, Arriaga, Yeste.

Goals:
1-0. 52. Baptista. Picked up ball in midfield and ran on to fire shot into roof of net.
2-0. 66. Carlitos. Ran on to Alves through ball and hit angled shot past keeper.

Sevilla are back up to fifth after a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Both sides made changes after their successful UEFA cup ties midweek, but it was still an entertaining game, with both sides creating chances in the first half. The hosts could have gone ahead early on when Tiko deflected a shot from Renato over the bar and Gurpegui cleared off the line from Antoñito with Aranzubia beaten, but Orbaiz and Tiko both put efforts just wide of the post at the other end soon afterwards.

The home side were starting to edge it though, with Antoñito getting booked for diving when Aranzubia appeared to bring him down in the area, and Daniel Alves hitting the bar with a shot from outside of the area. And a few minutes in to the second half Baptista put them in front, controlling a pass on his chest in midfield and running on to crash a shot past the keeper.

A quarter of an hour later it was all over when substitute Carlitos ran on to an Alves pass to shoot under Aranzubia, and it could have been more had the referee seen a deliberate hand ball by Azkorra in the area. But Sevilla had picked up another win in a Sánchez Pizjuán stadium where they have only dropped two points all season, and Athletic had clocked up their sixth straight away defeat, leaving them once again only two points above the relegation spots. All according to form, really.