LONDON (AP) ― Robin van Persie preserved Manchester United’s narrow lead in the Premier League with the quickest goal of the season, scoring after 32 seconds in a 1-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday.

Defending champion Manchester City remained a point behind its neighbor with a 2-0 victory at Wigan on goals by Mario Balotelli and James Milner, but Rafa Benitez’s tough start as interim Chelsea manager continued with a 0-0 home draw against Fulham.

The point at least lifted Chelsea into third place above West Bromwich Albion, which lost 3-1 at Swansea to end a four-match winning run in the league.

Tottenham climbed to fifth place by beating Liverpool 2-1, with Spurs winger Gareth Bale scoring at both ends, while Arsenal was held to a 1-1 tie at Everton after also taking the lead after less than a minute through Theo Walcott.

Stoke came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1, a fourth straight loss for the visitors, while Mark Clattenburg ― the referee at the center of recent racism accusations ― made his return to the middle in Southampton’s 1-1 draw at home to Norwich.

Benitez was greeted with roars of disapproval prior to his first match in charge ― a 0-0 home draw with Man City on Sunday ― but fans gave him a less hostile reception three days on.

Spain

David Villa scored twice as Barcelona eased into the fifth round of the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 home win against Alaves to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Alaves silenced the Camp Nou ahead of celebrations to mark its 113th birthday later this month by taking the lead when Borja Viguera headed Miquel “Miki” Martinez’s long-range cross into the net in the 17th minute.

Adriano equalized in the 35th after beating a defender and then skillfully striking the ball low, beneath approaching goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.

Cristian Tello was felled in the 56th, earning a free kick that Villa converted for his 300th professional goal with a beautifully struck shot. Four minutes later, he added another from an assist by Tello.

Villa’s goals steadied the home team and led to some fluid, fast-passing play, culminating in a shot just over the crossbar by Tello in the 68th and another inches wide by Villa a minute later.

Germany

Leader Bayern Munich labored to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Freiburg, while Bayer Leverkusen won 4-1 at Werder Bremen to move into second place in the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen has won five of its past six games and moved past defending champion Borussia Dortmund, which drew 1-1 at home against Fortuna Duesseldorf on Tuesday.

Leverkusen is 10 points behind Bayern, which earned the unofficial title of “autumn champion” with three matches to spare before the winter break, the earliest a team has achieved that distinction.

France

Bafetimbi Gomis scored a hat trick as Lyon thrashed Marseille 4-1 to climb above Paris Saint-Germain to the top of the French league.

Steed Malbranque was the other scorer for the visitors before Loic Remy grabbed a 77th-minute consolation for Marseille, which had Rod Fanni dismissed late on.

Also, Montpellier and Lille progressed to the semifinals of the French League Cup.