Associated Press

Madrid, April 18:

Spain international Ivan Helguera scored the winning goal in the 78th minute as 10-man Real Madrid beat crosstown rival Atletico de Madrid 2-1 and moved to the top of the Spanish league standings. Argentine midfielder Santiago Solari also netted for the defending champions, which despite having defender Francisco Pavon ejected early in the second half managed to halt its dismal run over the last four weeks. In Saturday’s other games, third-place Deportivo de La Coruna played out a disappointing 1-1 home draw with struggling Valladolid, while Athletic de Bilbao crushed a nine-man Zaragoza 4-0. Madrid, with 70 points from 33 games, has one more point than Valencia. Deportivo has 61 points.

Madrid, which lacked injured top scorer Ronaldo, received a morale boost in the fifth minute when Solari caught Atletico goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses off his line to score from a narrow angle after Luis Figo had burst through the centre of the field. Greece striker Demis Nikolaidis came on at halftime and made an immediate impact. Within two minutes of the restart he was pushed over by Pavon in the penalty area. The defender, who had been cautioned in the first half, was dismissed, with Serbian and Montenegrin striker Veljko Paunovic converting the penalty. Helguera decided the game with 12 minutes remaining when he nodded home after Beckham headed Figo’s corner back across goal. Proceeds from the game between

the Spanish capital’s top teams were to be donated to families of the 191 victims of the train bombings in Madrid on March 11.

Italian Serie A

ROME: Brazilian star Kaka scored the game-winner with a diving header in the closing minutes to help AC Milan beat host Siena 2-1 and move closer to the Serie A title. Piling up a record-equalling total of 75 points in 30 matches, AC Milan lifted itself 12 points clear of second-place AS Roma. Kaka netted his 10th goal of the season in the 80th minute off a corner kick as the home team was one player down following the ejection of Simone Vergassola three minutes earlier. Kaka’s goal helped the Milan team avoid its third draw in last four league matches. Andriy Shevchenko netted AC Milan’s opening goal in the 21st minute, scoring off a save by goalkeeper Marco Fortin on a powerful drive by Manuel Rui Costa. In the 38th minute, “Sheva” hit the ball with his elbow inside his area as he stood in the defensive wall on a free kick by veteran striker Enrico Chiesa. Chiesa converted the penalty that levelled the match 1-1 at halftime. Milan attacked throughout the second half, squandered a few scoring chances under battering rain and needed Kaka’s decisive header to clinch victory and three possibly decisive points.

Kaka was quick to head in a deflection by second-half substitute Marco Borriello who was fielded in absence of injured Filippo Inzaghi and Jon-Dahl Tomasson. In Saturday’s only other match, Lecce stunned 10-man Udinese 2-1 on a late goal by Uruguayan striker Ernesto Chevanton to revive its hopes to escape relegation. English Premier League Results: Blackburn 1 Leicester 0; Bolton 2 Tottenham 0; Charlton 1 Birmingham 1; Chelsea 0 Everton 0; Liverpool 0 Fulham 0; Manchester City 1 Southampton 3; Portsmouth 1 Manchester United 0; Wolverhampton 2 Middlesbrough 0.