Inter lose, Raul hits hat-trick for Real

The title race in Europe's top leagues remained tense at the weekend with Inter Milan losing at Napoli and Liverpool keeping the pressure on Manchester United.

VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich both lost in Germany and Barcelona were held at Valencia but Olympique Marseille went five points clear.

ITALY

Inter Milan had their lead cut to seven points with five games to play after losing 1-0 at Napoli.

Former Juventus forward Marcelo Zalayeta slotted home midway through the second half to give Napoli their first league win since January and first under new coach Roberto Donadoni.

Second-placed AC Milan, seemingly out of the title race a few weeks ago, are now hoping for further Inter slip-ups after beating 10-man Palermo 3-0 with two Kaka penalties.

Juve's title hopes hung by a thread after they drew 2-2 at bottom side Reggina and slipped to third nine points back.

ENGLAND

Manchester United came through a major scare against Tottenham Hotspur to run out 5-2 winners and close in on the title.

United trailed 2-0 at halftime but a fortunate penalty got them back into the game and they scored five goals in 22 minutes with two each from Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Second-placed Liverpool, who won 3-1 at Hull City, are three points behind United, who have five games remaining to Liverpool's four.

Chelsea remain six points back after a 1-0 defeat of West Ham United while Arsenal virtually guaranteed a top-four finish after Cesc Fabregas scored twice in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough. Arsenal are 10 points ahead of fifth-placed Aston Villa.

SPAIN

Captain Raul scored a hat-trick to power Real Madrid to a 4-2 comeback win at Sevilla which cut Barcelona's lead to four points with five games to play after they were held to a 2-2 draw at Valencia.

Thierry Henry came off the bench to rescue a point for the Catalans, who play the champions in Madrid next weekend, after two quick Valencia goals overturned Lionel Messi's opener against third-placed Sevilla.

Villarreal, a point behind Valencia in fifth, won 2-1 at Getafe to keep alive their chances of returning to the Champions League next season.

GERMANY

VfL Wolfsburg slumped to a 2-0 defeat at lowly Energie Cottbus, ending their record-equalling 10-match winning streak in the league and seeing their lead cut to two points with five matches left.

Hertha Berlin moved up to second place when Patrick Ebert's close range goal gave them a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim, while champions Bayern Munich dropped to third, three points off the pace, after a 1-0 home upset by Schalke 04.

Cacau and Mario Gomez scored in either half to hand improving VfB Stuttgart a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and lift them to fourth, level on points with Bayern and Hamburg SV, who lost 2-0 away to Borussia Dortmund.

FRANCE

Olympique Marseille took an important step towards their first league title since 1992 when a 2-1 win at Lille increased their lead to five points with five games left.

Benoit Cheyrou and Mamadou Niang netted in the 54th and 57th minutes after Belgium striker Eden Hazard had opened the scoring for Lille four minutes into the second half. Hazard had a penalty saved by keeper Steve Mandanda before halftime.

Second-placed Girondins Bordeaux play their game in hand at Stade Rennes on Wednesday.

Olympique Lyon, who have won the last seven Ligue 1 titles, were third six points off the pace following a 0-0 home draw against fourth-placed Paris St Germain.

NETHERLANDS

Ajax Amsterdam dropped two points in their chase to qualify for the Champions League preliminary round when they were held 1-1 by 10-man champions AZ Alkmaar to stay a point behind second-placed Twente Enschede who drew 1-1 at Heerenveen.

Uruguayan Luis Suarez salvaged a point for Ajax when he converted a late penalty after missing one earlier, while Alkmaar skipper Stijn Schaars was sent off in the 57th minute.

Fourth-placed PSV Eindhoven won 2-0 at Heracles Almelo.

PORTUGAL

Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez scored twice to earn Porto a 2-0 home win against Vitoria de Setubal that keeps them four points ahead of Sporting.

Lopez opened the scoring just past the hour from close range after combining neatly with compatriot Ernesto Farias. Five minutes later he scored again with a low drive inside the box from a pass by another compatriot, Mariano Gonzalez.

Goals by strikers Helder Postiga and Liedson gave Sporting a 2-1 home win over Estrela da Amadora. Benfica, who beat Maritimo 3-2, are third eight points behind Porto.

GREECE

Larissa secured the final place in the playoffs when they beat Levadiakos 1-0 in a game marred by three red cards and nine yellow to finish the league season in fifth place.

Olympiakos Piraeus, who had already won the championship, go into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League while the sides finishing second to fifth compete for another Greek slot.

The champions ended on a high note when they beat bottom side Thrasivoulos 2-0 with goals from Argentine Luciano Galletti and on-loan English striker Matt Derbyshire.

BULGARIA

CSKA Sofia came from behind to beat Botev Plovdiv 2-1 for their ninth consecutive league win and remain four points clear of second-placed Levski Sofia.

Relegation-threatened Botev shocked CSKA when Iliyan Garov put them ahead in first-half injury time but the hosts hit back strongly after the interval with goals from captain Todor Yanchev and Yordan Todorov.

Levski demolished basement club Belasitsa Petrich 7-1 with striker Georgi Hristov scoring four.