BARCELONA: Angel Di Maria's late goal gave 10-man Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Sevilla to stay two points behind Spanish league leader Barcelona Sunday. The Argentina winger threaded a shot from a tight angle on the left flank past goalkeeper Andres Palop in the 76th minute just as a scoreless draw seemed to be the most likely outcome. Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo caused problems for his former club's defense throughout, and drew two yellow cards from defender Ricardo Carvalho to leave Madrid with 10 men from the 63rd minute. Madrid has won all eight matches this season at Bernabeu stadium, while 11th-place Sevilla has now lost five straight games. Tiago scored twice and set up another goal in Atletico Madrid's 3-0 win over Malaga, and Getafe rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Almeria 3-2. Kalu Uche charged past his defender to head in a cross from winger Albert Crusat for Almeria's seventh-minute opener, and Jose Ulloa doubled the advantage. Getafe captain Manuel del Moral pulled one back in the 29th and striker Nicolas Fedor equalized in the 48th, threading a shot between goalkeeper Diego Alves' legs. Derek Boateng capped Getafe's comeback with 20 minutes to play by deftly backheeling in a low cross from Del Moral. Earlier, Osasuna was held to a scoreless draw by last-place Zaragoza. Ferguson becomes longest serving United manager Alex Ferguson became Manchester United's longest-serving manager Sunday with his team topping the Premier League but with heavy snow denying him the chance to mark the milestone with a win over title rival Chelsea. By extending his reign to 8,811 days, the 68-year-old Ferguson surpassed fellow Scotsman Matt Busby's record set during his two spells in the Old Trafford hot seat. Ferguson has won 26 major trophies since replacing Ron Atkinson in November 1986, including the Premier League eleven times and the Champions League twice. Ferguson, who has stopped discussing his future plans after previously changing his mind about retirement to remain in the job, was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999 after guiding United to a treble of Premier League, European Champions League and FA Cup titles that year. While he has become British football's most successful manager, Ferguson is quick to point out that Busby had the tougher time, having to rebuild United following the 1958 Munich air disaster that killed eight players. Busby went on to deliver the club's first European Cup in 1968 as well as winning five league titles during his first tenure between 1945 and ‘69. He took charge again between 1970 and ‘71 and remained involved with the club until his death in 1994, aged 84.
