Real Madrid was held by Rayo Vallecano to a 0-0 draw in the Spanish league on Sunday for its second consecutive setback following a Champions League loss at Liverpool.

Madrid`s attack struggled and was scoreless again after having found the net in every match this season until the 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Tuesday.

Madrid remains top of the Spanish league, five points ahead of second-placed Villarreal, but Barcelona can move within three points of the leader by beating Celta Vigo later Sunday.

"We know where we are," Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said. "You have to know how to balance the good times and the bad times. It`s a long season. The demands are huge, but we can cope with them and we`re preparing for them."

Madrid had won 13 of its 15 games in all competitions this season, with the setbacks coming against Liverpool and at Atletico Madrid in a 5-2 loss in the Spanish league in September.

Alonso said it was "one game at a time" for his team.

"After the Anfield game, which is now behind us, today was one of those games that is a bit difficult to bring us back to the level we want to be in," Alonso said. "In the second half anything could have happened. I don`t put it down to emotional peaks. We want to be very stable in our preparation and in our mentality, because we know that the league is about taking it one game at a time."

Alonso said his main concern is to make sure the team keeps improving and "engaging in positive self-reflection."

"This is Madrid and we all know where we are," he said. "It`s still November, there`s a long way to go. We have to be demanding of ourselves and also prudent."

Rayo, sitting 12th, had lost 4-0 at Villarreal in its previous league game, but it was coming off consecutive victories in the Europa League and the Copa del Rey.

Seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao snapped a three-game losing streak across all competitions. It beat Oviedo 1-0 with a 25th-minute goal by Nico Williams, who got past three defenders with a nice run through the left flank before firing into the net from a tough angle.

It was the six straight match without a win for last-placed Oviedo in all competitions.

Vedat Muriqi scored a first-half goal as Mallorca defeated eighth-placed Getafe 1-0 at home. Valencia`s winless streak in the league reached seven games after a 1-1 home draw with fifth-placed Real Betis. Valencia, in 17th place, equalized with a goal from Luis Rioja in the 82nd.