( CNN ) -- Real Madrid had goalkeeper Iker Casillas sent off in the second minute but battled to a 1-0 win at Espanyol Sunday to cut Barcelona 's lead at the top of Spain 's La Liga to five points . Spain World Cup keeper Casillas went for clipping home midfielder Jose Callejon as he raced clear from a through ball , his sending off the quickest ever for a Real player in a Spanish league match . Manager Jose Mourinho had to introduce youngster Antonio Adan from the bench and sacrificed Argentina star Angel Di Maria , but it sparked an impressive display from Los Blancos . With a numerical advantage Espanyol did occasionally threaten and from the resulting free kick Luis Garcia saw his effort saved by Adan , but it was Real who were the more threatening . Marcelo clipped the crossbar with a rising shot before he was found by Cristiano Ronaldo and scored from an acute angle in the 23rd minute . Marcelo then sent Emmanuel Adebayor clear , but the Togo striker slipped as he shot and his effort looped onto the top of the crossbar . Espanyol applied more pressure in the second half and Callejon might have equalized only to send his effort wide of the far post . But in the dying moments Carlos Kameni twice denied Adebayor from point-blank range with superb saves , both times after receiving passes from the hard- working Ronaldo . Barcelona 's winning run was halted Saturday as they were held 1-1 by Sporting Gijon , giving arch-rivals Real the chance to close the gap . In other La Liga action Sunday , Villarreal slipped two points behind rivals Valencia in the battle for Champions League places with their second successive league defeat , beaten 1-0 at Deportivo La Coruna . Defender Alberto Lopo 's goal on the hour mark sealed three vital points for Depor , who move out of the relegation zone while their visitors stay fourth . Meanwhile , promoted pair Hercules and Levante improved their chances of staying in the top flight with wins over Real Zaragoza and Almeria respectively .
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas sent off in 1-0 win at Espanyol . The Spanish club were leading 2-0 when the incident occurred but they went on to lose 3-0. Marcelo scores only goal of the match in 24th minute after pass from Cristiano Ronaldo . Real cut Barcelona 's lead at the top to five points .