BARCELONA, Spain - Manucho scored a late header to give Rayo Vallecano a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad in the Spanish league on Saturday.

The striker powered in Roberto Trashorras' corner kick to grab the victory with nine minutes to play in an otherwise dull match at Anoeta Stadium.

Rayo rose to ninth place while Sociedad stayed 12th.

It was only Sociedad's second loss in eight league games under coach David Moyes. The Basque club, however, was also knocked out of the Copa del Rey this week.

Later, Valencia looks to rebound from its cup exit with a win at Almeria that would provisionally lift it into third, while Villarreal can also close on the top four by beating a struggling Athletic Bilbao.