KEY POINTS:
Italy
Inter Milan set a new Serie A record of 12 successive wins by beating Torino 3-1 as Serie A resumed after the winter recess with goals from Adriano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Materazzi.
Inter's grip on the top spot tightened when second-placed AS Roma conceded a late
penalty to draw 1-1 at Messina.
Nine points separate the teams at the halfway stage of the championship.
Palermo, who lie a further four points back in third despite winning 2-0 against Udinese, already seem to be out of the title chase.
Lazio moved up to fourth despite being held 1-1 by Siena, and giants AC Milan, emerging from a poor start to the season, showed they could still challenge for a Champions League berth by notching up a third win in succession, 3-1 over Reggina.
Spain
Third-placed Real Madrid closed on the leaders in the Primera Liga with a 1-0 home win over Real Zaragoza that put them two points behind top side Sevilla.
Leaders Sevilla and second-placed Barcelona lost.
Sevilla's 100 per cent home record fell to lowly Real Mallorca as they were outfought in a 2-1 defeat.
Barcelona, who are level on 35 points with Real but with a game in hand, were lucky to escape with only a 1-3 reverse at city rivals Espanyol.
England
Normal service appears to have resumed at the top of the English premier league with the big four all posting convincing victories at the weekend.
Manchester United chalked off another hurdle in their quest to wrest the title back from Chelsea, beating Aston Villa 3-1 at Old Trafford with Park Ji-Sung and Michael Carrick both finding the target for the first time this season and Cristiano Ronaldo netting his 13th league goal.
Chelsea thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 to stay six points behind in second place, while Liverpool cruised past bottom club Watford 3-0 to stay in third spot, Peter Crouch netting twice.
Arsenal were reduced to 10 men after 13 minutes at Blackburn Rovers when Gilberto Silva was red-carded for tangling with Robbie Savage, but the Gunners still ran out 2-0 winners with Thierry Henry scoring a second.
After 23 rounds, United have 57 points, Chelsea 51, Liverpool 43 and Arsenal 42.
France
Olympique Lyon slumped to their second defeat of the season when they lost 0-2 at Toulouse.
Trying to become the first side from a major European league to win six titles in succession, Lyon nonetheless still comfortably top the standings with 50 points from 20 games.
Second-placed Racing Lens are 14 points back after a 1-1 home draw with Lille in yesterday's northern derby.
Olympique Marseille moved into third, 17 points off the pace, by winning 2-0 at Stade Rennes courtesy of goals by forwards Djibril Cisse and Toifilou Maoulida.
The game was Marseille's 2000th outing in the top flight.
- REUTERS