By ADAM TROXTELL

Facing a familiar opponent when it comes to locking up an English Premier League title, Chelsea took a big step toward claiming its fourth.

Though the margins aren’t as small as they have been in past seasons, it didn’t make Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Manchester United any less satisfying. With Arsenal on FA Cup semifinal duty, the Blues now lead by 10 points at the top of the standings.

Eden Hazard’s 13th league goal of the season wrapped up the three points for Chelsea in the 38th minute. Capitalizing on a John Terry tackle at midfield on Radamel Falcao, Hazard was easily played through down the left before sending a shot underneath David De Gea and in.

It was one of few chances for Chelsea, again without Diego Costa. At the other end, Manchester United was given plenty of time to score with 70 percent of the possession, but they only came close to scoring twice.

Wayne Rooney had a golden opportunity in the first five minutes, but his left-footed strike curled wide of the goal. In the second half, Falcao attempted a shot from almost the same place Hazard scored his, but the ball clanged off the outside of the post and out.

Arsenal needed extra time, but the Gunners will go on to defend their FA Cup trophy with a 2-1 win against Reading in the semifinal. Barcelona stayed top of La Liga with a win at home, and Borussia Dortmund climbed into the top half of the Bundesliga.

Here are more recaps from Saturday’s action across Europe’s top leagues.

ENGLISH FA CUP

Goalkeeping mistakes kept Arsenal’s semifinal victory against Reading interesting.

After forcing extra time, Reading finally succumbed to pressure when Alexis Sanchez scored his second goal of the game in the 105th minute. The Chilean tucked in from the left, fired a low shot at Adam Federici who could only watch as the ball squeezed beneath him and rolled across the line.

But a similar incident at the other end is the only reason extra time was needed in the first place. Pavel Pogrebnyak created the Reading chance by holding the ball up and finding Gareth McCleary at the back post. His volley deflected off of Kieran Gibbs before Wojciech Szczesny deflected the ball into his own net.

Despite a stern fight from Reading, Arsenal ensured it will try for a second consecutive FA Cup against either Aston Villa or Liverpool.

SPANISH PRIMERA DIVISION

Barcelona took its second tough outing in as many weeks much better than the first.

The Catalan side remains top of La Liga by two points after beating Valencia 2-0. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi cemented the win with a goal each to begin the game and end it, though Valencia will look at a missed Daniel Parejo penalty as a squandered opportunity.

The Camp Nou was quickly on its feet when Messi took the ball on a fast break and located Suarez inside the box. A low finish to the left corner in just the first minute already had Barcelona on top.

Joy nearly became despair when Gerard Pique was called for a foul on Rodrigo in the box. Claudio Bravo saved the penalty, and the day as Barcelona dominated from there.

In the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, Messi made the domination count by running with the ball from the midfield line and sending his own rebound into the back of the net.

While the win keeps Real Madrid at bay for now, Los Blancos still kept pressure on Barcelona with a 3-1 win against Malaga. Cristiano Ronaldo created Sergio Ramos’ opener from a free kick before assisting James Rodriguez on the second in the 69th minute.

Two minutes later, Juanmi brought Malaga back somewhat against the run of play. Real had eight shots on goal, and Ronaldo dispatched another into the net in stoppage time.

Here is a look at the results from Spain:

Barcelona 2, Valencia 0

Deportivo La Coruna 1, Atletico Madrid 2

Real Madrid 3, Malaga 1

Athletic Bilbao 4, Getafe 0

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Leicester City was the big winner on the day when it comes to evading relegation.

A 2-0 win against Swansea has the Foxes off the bottom of the Premier League, though they are still two points from safety. Leonardo Ulloa struck in the 15th minute before Andy King assured victory with a late goal.

That means Burnley replace them in last place after Everton beat the Clarets 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kevin Mirallas. Stoke City came back to beat Southampton 2-1, while Crystal Palace fell at home to fellow mid-table dwellers West Brom, 2-0.

FRENCH LIGUE 1

Paris Saint-Germain won its fourth consecutive league game, 3-1 against Nice, to stay top of the Ligue 1 table.

PSG sit a point ahead of Lyon, who play on Sunday, and the defending champions will also have a game in hand. Javier Pastore scored twice, opening the scoring in the 40th minute before turning in a 63rd minute strike.

A penalty from Edinson Cavani sealed the win for PSG in the 69th minute. It was Nice’s first loss in four games.

Monaco face a continued fight to secure a Champions League spot after drawing Rennes 1-1. Mahamadou Habib Habibou’s goal in the 88th minute handed Rennes a share of the spoils, canceling out Bernardo Silva’s goal in the 28th minute.

Here is a full look at the results from France:

Nice 1, PSG 3

Bastia 1, Reims 2

Guingamp 1, Evian 1

Lorient 0, Toulouse 1

Metz 3, Lens 1

Monaco 1, Rennes 1

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Borussia Dortmund has now climbed into the top half of the Bundesliga table with a 3-0 win against Paderborn.

After Paderborn’s flying start and Dortmund’s early struggles, the clubs have now switched roles as the season ends. Goals from Henrik Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Shinji Kagawa helped Dortmund slide into eighth place, while Paderborn is now in the middle of a relegation fight.

Bayern Munich responded to its shocking Champions League defeat with a 2-o win against Hoffenheim. Sebastian Rode scored his third Bundesliga goal in the 38th minute before an own goal by Andreas Beck cemented the result.

Here is a look at the Bundesliga results:

Bayer Leverkusen 4, Hannover 0

Dortmund 3, Paderborn 0

Freiburg 2, Mainz 3

Hertha Berlin 0, Koln 0

Hoffenheim 0, Bayern Munich 2

Augsburg 2, Stuttgart 1

ITALIAN SERIE A

Speaking of teams running away with the title, Juventus continued its championship charge with a 2-0 win aginst Lazio.

Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci struck in the first half for the victory. Juventus now sits 15 points ahead of the Rome side in Serie A.

Sampdoria and Cesena played out a scoreless draw in the other game of the day.