Atletico Madrid?s Jesper Gronkjaer (right) evades Espanyol?s Maxi Rodriguez during their Spanish League match at Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid on Saturday

Madrid: Third-placed Sevilla missed the chance to put pressure on their rivals for a Champions League place when they slipped to a 0-1 defeat at home to struggling Osasuna in the Primera Liga on Saturday.

Striker Richard Morales grabbed the winner with a classy volley midway through the first half to put the finishing touch to a slick counter attack and allow the Navarrans to ease their relegation worries with their second win of the year.

Atletico Madrid and Espanyol failed to capitalise on Sevilla?s slip-up as they drew 0-0 at the Calderon in a game marred by another incident of racist behaviour by the home side?s radical fans who threw a banana at ?keeper Carlos Kameni.

The Cameroon international saved the day for the visitors, though, guessing right to turn a Fernando Torres penalty round the post just after the hour and then producing a marvellous reflex stop to deny the striker in the closing minutes.

Sevilla, despite their defeat, remain third in the table but the Andalucians are only one point ahead of Villarreal who have two games in hand. Espanyol move up to fifth on 50 points, level with Real Betis.

Deportivo la Coruna failed to take advantage of the earlier results when they lost 0-1 at mid-table Real Sociedad in the late match, midfielder Gari Uranga scoring the winner for the home side with a spectacular diving header in the first half.

Defeat left the Galicians, who have not finished outside the top three in the last five seasons, marooned in ninth place, four points adrift of Betis.

Advantage lost

In English Premier League action, struggling Norwich City and Southampton tossed away two-goal leads to deepen their relegation fears while Bolton Wanderers leapfrogged Liverpool into fifth place, adds a report from London.

Bottom club Norwich led 3-1 at second-bottom Crystal Palace before goals by Michael Hughes and Andy Johnson, with a disputed late penalty, secured a 3-3 draw for the home team.

Third-bottom Southampton led 2-0 at home to Aston Villa but lost 2-3 after a superb second-half fightback by the visitors.

The results meant Norwich, with five games left, stayed last on 24 points, with Palace on 27, the same as Southampton and one point behind fourth-bottom West Bromwich Albion who did not play.

Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf gave Bolton a 2-1 win at Charlton Athletic, a result that lifted them a point above his former club, Champions League semi-finalists Liverpool, who drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

Bolton, who have never played in European competition before, are now only two points behind fourth-placed Everton who occupy the last Champions League qualifying spot.

Chelsea, 11 points clear at the top and homing in on their first English title since 1955, do not play until Wednesday when they host second-placed Arsenal who beat Blackburn 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Portuguese winger Luis Boa Morte earned Fulham a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City, while Portsmouth secured a valuable point in a 0-0 draw away at Birmingham City.

Portsmouth, unbeaten in two games since Frenchman Alain Perrin took charge, remain in 15th place, but are now eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Sampdoria, meanwhile, moved into fourth place in Serie A on Saturday after a controversial injury time penalty from Francesco Flachi gave them a 1-0 win over rivals Palermo, adds a report from Milan.

Sampdoria move above Udinese in the battle for the fourth Champions League slot after the north-eastern side suffered a 0-1 defeat at Messina. AS Roma?s poor season continued with a 1-2 defeat at home to Reggina.

Palermo, also in the battle for the lucrative chance of a Champions League place, were furious after Sampdoria were awarded a penalty when Flachi?s overhead kick struck the arm of Fabio Grosso at close range.

After Flachi drove home the penalty there was an off-the-ball clash between the Sampdoria striker and Grosso with television images showing the Palermo defender putting his hand in the face of Flachi.

Prior to the goal Palermo had been the better side, creating few chances but dominating much of the midfield play.

Palermo?s director of sport Rino Foschi could face disciplinary action after running on to the field to protest the penalty and for his post-match comments on television where he accused the linesman, who signalled for the penalty, of cheating.

The result moves Sampdoria on to 51 points with Udinese on 49 points and Palermo on 47.