Sebastian Freis gave the guests a 1-0 lead early on, but Sami Khedira tied the score in the 22nd minute. Mario Gomez put Stuttgart ahead in the 68th before Ciprian Marica finished off Karlsruhe with a goal in the 87th.
Stuttgart now have 10 points - even with Hoffenheim and Hamburg - to be one point behind leaders Schalke.
Karlsruhe, who were hoping for their first victory in Stuttgart since 1965, remain on three points just outside the relegation zone.
Karlsruhe grabbed the lead after just eight minutes when Alexander Iashvili sent a high cross to the far left post where Freis was all alone to head into the near corner.
But Stuttgart evened things in the 22nd minute as Gomez gathered the ball, ran onto the left wing and crossed into the middle where Khedira headed in the equaliser.
The hosts missed a golden chance to pull ahead after 37 minutes when Cacau found Jan Simak, but his looping header from point-blank range gave Karlsruhe goalkeeper Markus Miller enough time to make the save.
Stuttgart keeper Jens Lehmann was unable to clear a ball seven minutes after the break but Michael Mutzel could not find the target.
Armin Veh's side finally grabbed the lead in the 68th minute when Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger lofted a pass over the Karlsruhe defence for Gomez, who beat Miller one-on-one to the left corner.
Marica ensured the win in the 87th minute when he beat the off-side trap, and then Miller, to seal the points.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, Unai Emery's men were lacklustre throughout but their persistence paid off when the former Real Madrid winger pounced from eight yards to guide home an excellent lofted ball from David Villa.
Osasuna will feel hard done by as they appeared to have done enough to take a point, despite losing full-back Cesar Azpilicueta to two yellow cards in quick succession early in the second half.
However, their time-wasting antics ensured they were awarded little sympathy by the relieved Mestalla faithful.
In a disappointing first half, Valencia were tentative and showed glimpses of the fragile confidence that plagued them for much of last season.
So it was no great surprise when the game's first real chance fell to the visitors on eight minutes.
Jaroslav Plasil sprang the offside trap to race onto Javier Portillo's exquisite reverse pass and cut the ball back to Hector Font, but the forward could only blaze over when he surely would have scored had he kept the ball down.
However, the hosts did threaten to spring into life on a few occasions without ever delivering the final punch.
Joaquin and Manuel Fernandes worked some space from a corner to find Miguel alone on the edge of the 18-yard box but the full-back suffered a rush of blood and wasted the opportunity with a scuffed shot.
Mata tried his luck from 25 yards on the half-hour mark, his well-struck effort forcing Ricardo to dash across his goalmouth and he will have been relieved to see the ball drift wide of his left-hand upright.
Then Villa drilled a left-footed shot across the face of goal on 42 minutes with Joaquin unable to connect with an outstretched boot at the far post.
A minute later, Mata worked the visiting keeper with a left-footed strike from the edge of the 18-yard box.
In the second period, even half-chances were few and far between following the dismissal of Azpilicueta.
The full-back was given his marching orders for two fouls on Mata in the space of 10 minutes, the second for denying his opponent the opportunity to race into the box for a loose ball when both players were grounded in the corner.
From that point, the play became even more disjointed as the visitors played the clock as best they could, drawing cheap free-kicks out of the Valencia defenders and generally wasting time.
Los Che's chance to win the game appeared to have disappeared with four minutes remaining when Mata hit the base of the post with a fine strike from 15 yards, the ball bouncing back into the danger area but evading a trio of white shirts.
However, the Mestalla crowd didn't have too long to dwell on their apparent misfortune, Mata popping up less than 60 seconds later, latching on to Villa's pass and finishing with aplomb to secure the points.
Following an indifferent first-half performance, De La Red put Madrid into the lead eight minutes after the restart and Van Nistelrooy netted his side's second with 17 minutes remaining to ensure a comfortable win for the champions.
Madrid came into the game under pressure following an indifferent start to the campaign.
Schuster's side lost at Deportivo La Coruna on the opening weekend of the season and were far from convincing in a 4-3 win at home to promoted side Numancia last Saturday.
A 2-0 home success against Belorussian minnows BATE Barisov in the Champions League on Wednesday also failed to silence the critics, but Madrid looked better here.
Gonzalo Higuain almost set up Raul after 10 minutes, but Racing cleared before the Real captain could get a shot in.
And De La Red - a surprise inclusion on the left of midfield - forced Tono into a fine save with a fierce low drive nine minutes later.
The Spain midfielder also saw a long-range effort deflected behind after 32 minutes.
But Madrid switched off at the back as half-time approached and needed a pair of heroic saves from keeper Iker Casillas to deny Jonathan Pereira.
Guti was forced off with an injury just before the break and was replaced by summer signing Rafael van der Vaart.
But it was De La Red who made the breakthrough eight minutes after the interval.
Higuain charged forward on a quick counter-attack and released the former Getafe loanee, who swept the ball home from close-range to give the visitors an important lead.
But Schuster's side struggled to build on that advantage as Racing looked for a way back into the game.
And Mohamed Tchite almost provided a lifeline for the northerners after 69 minutes, but was just off target with his header.
Four minutes later, though, the match was effectively over as a contest as Van Nistelrooy bagged his side's second after evading a couple of challenges and slotting home just inside the post.
It was a typically clinical finish from the Dutchman and gave Madrid an important cushion for the remainder of the match.
Their advantage came under threat after 77 minutes but Tchite's header was cleared off the line by Van der Vaart.
De La Red fired over four minutes from time and Gonzalo Colsa was off target with a free-kick at the other end as the game finished with a flourish.
The points went to Madrid, who moved up to sixth place, where they sit just one point below joint leaders Valencia, Almeria, Villarreal and Espanyol.
Racing, meanwhile, sit just above the drop zone with two points from their three matches.
MILAN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Inter Milan produced a masterclass of attacking play when they moved to the top of Serie A with a 3-1 win at Torino on Sunday.
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The Italian champions had been finding their feet in Jose Mourinho's first few games in charge but they outclassed Torino thanks to an own goal by Marco Pisano, Maicon's superb shot and a neat finish from Zlatan Ibrahimovic after a quick break.
Elvis Abbruscato grabbed a goal back for the home side and Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar made a good stop late on but his side were never in danger.
Injury-hit Juventus also made it seven points from three games with new striker Amauri sealing a 1-0 win at Cagliari with his second goal in two league games on 39 minutes.
The Brazil-born forward crashed home Vincenzo Iaquinta's layoff as the striking pair showed they could fill the boots of injured duo David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero.
Juve suffered a new blow, however, when keeper Gianluigi Buffon went off with a thigh knock and his deputy Alex Manninger produced a smart stop near the end to secure victory.
Sardinians Cagliari have lost all three games this term.
"Amauri was a great buy, he works for his team mates. The players that played today did well even if they don't play as much. They are great professionals," Juve coach Claudio Ranieri told Sky, adding that Buffon would undergo tests.
Forward Alberto Gilardino continued his rich vein of form by scoring in Fiorentina's 1-0 victory over promoted Bologna.
The close-season signing from AC Milan headed in from close range to take his tally to five from six matches in all competitions this term.
AC Milan sealed their first win of the Serie A season when they overpowered early pacesetters Lazio 4-1 in an enthralling game at the San Siro.
Milan, only fifth last term, had lost their opening two league games to pile the pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti.
He took a gamble for Lazio's visit by leaving Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko on the bench but the decision soon looked to have paid off when Clarence Seedorf scored on eight minutes.
The Dutchman rifled high into the net after his attempted pass rebounded back into his path off Lazio's Cristian Ledesma.
The visitors always looked dangerous on the break, however, and striker Mauro Zarate levelled the scores with a snapshot inside the near post for his fourth league goal this term.
The hosts stepped up the pace and were back in front when right back Gianluca Zambrotta unleashed a stunning 30-metre drive into the corner 10 minutes before the break.
Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato added a third with a diving header early in the second period before compatriot Kaka fired in beautifully from a distance.
AS Roma, runners-up last season, recorded their first win of the campaign on Saturday when they beat Reggina 3-0 at home.
Spurs' lack of quality firepower since the departure of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane was even further apparent as they struggled to break down Steve Bruce's side and they are still searching for their first league victory after five matches.
• I'm not homesick, insists Ramos
Worryingly for Ramos, his side also look short of form and the Spaniard withdrew multi-million pound summer signings Roman Pavlyuchenko and David Bentley.
In a game of poor quality, Spurs were convinced they should have had a 64th-minute penalty when Aaron Lennon, Bentley's replacement, appeared to be tripped by Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa.
But referee Steve Tanner infuriated the home fans and sent the Tottenham bench into near apoplexy by ignoring their appeals.
The frustration drove Spurs on and Jamie O'Hara, Darren Bent and Gareth Bale all rained shots on the visitors goal in the closing stages but Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland and his defenders were unmoved.
It was a frantic finish but did not stop home fans booing their team off at the full-time whistle as they had done at the half-time break.
Apart from Darren Bent's snap shot which forced Kirkland to make a diving save and an even better strike by Paul Scharner at the other end which had Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes plunging spectacularly to push past a post, the first half was almost a complete write-off.
Wigan's Emmerson Boyce put in a crude tackle on Jamie O'Hara that brought the first booking but, familiarly, Spurs failed to capitalise on the free-kick as Bentley's delivery failed to beat the first defender.
When Wigan earned a free-kick of their own in the 33rd minute, after Jonathan Woodgate fouled Amr Zaki, it was at last a show of attacking intention from the visitors.
Tottenham struggled to clear Jason Koumas's delivery and the Welshman pounced on the rebound to fire it back towards goal, forcing Gomes to come hurtling off his line to knock it away from Zaki.
Egypt international Zaki was often left as a lone striker as Heskey dropped deep but he showed danger when shooting wide on the turn in the 37th minute and Wigan were beginning to look a little more composed and confident.
Pavlyuchenko was not short of determination and set up Bent for a looping header that landed on the roof of the Wigan net.
But three minutes from the interval, Scharner had the best chance of the half with a low drive which produced a brilliant diving save from Gomes at the expense of a corner.
It was hardly a surprise when Pavlyuchenko did not come out for the second half, Frazier Campbell replacing him after he had suffered a series of heavy challenges.
He did not look injured but failed to even sit on the bench in the second half as Spurs laboured in vain.
Jermaine Jenas, captain in the absence of Ledley King, tried to inspire his side with industry and drive but it was a fruitless task as Wigan dug in and earned a point.
Hull had looked like maintaining their superb Premier League start by claiming a third win after scoring at corners through Michael Turner and a Phil Neville own goal.
But Everton finished a thrilling contest the stronger and were awarded a goal when Cahill's shot bounced down off the bar on 73 minutes, and Osman levelled five minutes later.
• Brown laments "poor decision"
The draw was a huge relief for Everton, who had again had problems at the back.
It was the exposure of those defensive frailties in Thursday's UEFA Cup clash against Standard Liege that led to David Moyes' decision to relegate England international Joleon Lescott to the bench.
Leighton Baines took his place, while record signing Marouane Fellaini also came into the side.
Hull, who would have been two points off the top with a win, handed a debut to striker Daniel Cousin and a first start to on-loan defender Kamil Zayatte.
The game got off to a lively start with Hull winger Peter Halmosi creating a fine chance for Bernard Mendy in the second minute.
Halmosi broke away from two defenders and then skipped past Neville to deliver an inviting cross, but Mendy headed straight at goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Everton hit back with Fellaini trying his luck from distance. But a deflection took the sting out of the shot, and Boaz Myhill saved comfortably.
Mikel Arteta also worked a good opportunity for the visitors, cutting inside to shoot from the edge of the box - but his effort sailed well over the bar.
Osman spurned a good chance after 11 minutes when Neville pulled the ball back to him unmarked in the box - only for the shot to be scuffed wide. Osman made better contact next time he had a shooting chance, but team-mate Cahill got in the way.
At the other end, Dean Marney slipped Mendy in with a fine pass - but the Frenchman took too long and shot wide.
Hull took encouragement, though, and grabbed the lead when Turner rose highest at the far post to meet Marney's cross and send a header back over Howard that Osman on the line could not keep out.
Everton produced an immediate response, Ayegbeni Yakubu meeting Fellaini's knock-down with a fierce volley. But Myhill parried, and Hull cleared.
Marlon King, two-goal hero at Newcastle last week, went close to doubling Hull's lead after 26 minutes when he curled a free-kick just wide - after Neville fouled Halmosi on the edge of the box.
Cousin had his first chance soon afterwards when he turned in the area, but Phil Jagielka deflected for a corner.
Moyes decided to bring Lescott back at half-time - sending him on for Baines at left-back, while adding firepower by replacing Segundo Castillo with Louis Saha.
An Arteta corner caused concern in the Hull box a minute after the restart. But Myhill gathered bravely at the feet of Yakubu, taking a knock in the process.
Hull's corners, however, created even more problems and led to a second goal for the hosts after 48 minutes.
Marney again delivered into the box, and this time Neville headed past his own goalkeeper and into the net - before King could get the final touch.
Everton were frustrated in their efforts to reply, Cahill slicing a volley wide, Saha having a low drive saved by Myhill and Lescott blasting over.
Persistence paid off when Everton pulled one back after 73 minutes through Cahill, although it took a brave decision from the officials.
Zayatte could only stab his clearance from an Osman shot at Cahill - and the Australian blasted a shot against the bar which bounced down, according to the referee's assistant, over the line.
That gave Everton the momentum, and Saha appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty after a challenge from Zayatte.
Everton claimed their equaliser with 12 minutes remaining when Yakubu played a one-two with Saha and crossed for Osman, who got ahead of Myhill and volleyed in from close range.
Hull almost fell behind with six minutes remaining when Myhill failed to gather - but Saha could only shoot into the side-netting.
Hull introduced George Boateng to stem the tide and held on to claim a creditable point.
The Norwegian international scored once but could have finished with a hat-trick after twice being denied by the woodwork in Villa's 2-1 win.
Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor struck twice in the space of 90 seconds during the first half and the Baggies could only muster a James Morrison goal in reply after a Brad Friedel error.
Villa were well worth their win and are showing they now have the strength in depth to cope with a Barclays Premier League and UEFA Cup campaign.
O'Neill was able to bring Carew, Ashley Young and Curtis Davies back into his starting line-up after missing the mid-week European trip to Bulgaria - a luxury that was never available to him last season.
But there is now quality cover at his disposal and Albion found it virtually impossible to handle the power of Carew while Ashley Young's free-kicks were a constant source of danger.
Gareth Barry also impressed in the middle of the park for the visitors and there are signs of him getting back to his best after the aborted Liverpool transfer saga.
Albion knocked the ball around in a pleasing fashion and deserve credit for not caving in after Villa's quickfire double blast but playing only one main striker in Roman Bednar means opportunities are limited in front of goal.
Albion were forced into a late change defender Abdoulaye Meite suffering an ankle injury in the warm-up and being replaced by Leon Barnett.
Former Baggies defender Davies was greeted with a crescendo of boos everytime he touched the ball.
Friedel saved a dipping 25 yard effort from Albion skipper Jonathan Greening away to his right as the home side knocked the ball around in confident fashion.
But they nearly paid the penalty when Agbonlahor was brought down by Gianni Zuiverloon 25 yards out. Ashley Young's floated cross picked out Carew whose powerful header flew only a couple of foot wide with Carson stranded to his line.
The Baggies were forced to make a change after 20 minutes when Chris Brunt limped out of the action to be replaced by Do-Heon Kim.
Then Villa took complete control with two goals inside 60 seconds from Carew and Agbonlahor.
Albion's vulnerability at free-kicks was finally exposed when Ashley Young's free-kick was again met by Carew - and this time the Norwegian international's header beat Carson via the post for his fourth goal of the campaign.
West Brom had not had time to recover from this setback before they fell further behind through Agbonlahor's fifth goal of the season.
Barnett was at fault in miscontrolling an Ashley Young pass which broke into the path of Agbonlahor and he drilled his shot across Carson from a narrow angle into the corner of the net.
After 34 minutes Morrison handed Albion a life-line with his second goal in as many games.
Villa 'keeper Brad Friedel was at fault in failing to hold onto a low 20 yarder from Koren - and Morrison was alert to tuck in the rebound.
Morrison was booked for not retreating 10 yards at an Ashley Young free-kick and West Brom defender Paul Robinson was also yellow-carded for a challenge on Stiliyan Petrov.
Friedel partially atoned for his error with a fine close range save to keep out a Kim header shortly before the interval.
The post twice denied Carew from adding to Villa's lead early in the second period.
The former Lyon striker timed his run perfectly to run onto Nigel Reo-Coker's pass and his cross shot clipped the far post although Carson had done well to narrow the angle.
But the ex Liverpool player could only watch as a Carew header thumped against the post from a Luke Young centre.
Borja Valero became the third Baggies player to be yellow-carded - for a late challenge on Petrov.
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray made a double substitution with Ishmael Miller and ex Villa striker Luke Moore replacing Bednar and Valero.
Moore came close to making an instant impact with a goal-bound shot blocked by Barry following a Greening centre.
With Khaldoon Al Mubarak in attendance, City - inspired by their superstar Brazilian Robinho - ripped Portsmouth apart with a six-goal spectacular.
Jo, Richard Dunne, Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips - plus substitutes Ched Evans and Gelson Fernandes - each scored in a stunning all-round display.
• Hughes delighted with super show
It was humiliation for Portsmouth, and in particular a match to forget for goalkeeper David James - who was partly culpable for several of the home side's goals.
Mark Hughes, the City manager, has been promised time to break into the top four by the club's new owners from Abu Dhabi. But after this, expectations will be sky-high.
Pompey boss Harry Redknapp started off with an unfashionable 3-5-2 line-up and must have regretted it as City pulled the defence apart from the start.
James had already made two good saves, from Robinho and Wright-Phillips, when City went ahead in the 13th minute.
Jo, a handful for the centre-backs all afternoon, was the man to get it - as Al Mubarak applauded from the directors' box.
Robinho slid a pass that caught Younes Kaboul flat-footed to find his fellow Brazilian. As James came racing out, Jo rounded him easily and side-footed the ball into the empty net.
Peter Crouch glanced a header over the bar from a corner as Portsmouth tried to hit back quickly, but almost immediately were 2-0 down.
James had to shoulder some of the blame for this one. Elano's clever corner towards the near post nearly caught him out, and he could only parry the ball for Dunne to bundle home from close range.
Portsmouth then had a spell where they managed to match City and create several chances, but wasted their opportunities to claw their way back.
Crouch came within inches, slamming Glen Johnson's low centre just the wrong side of the post; then Kaboul spooned a shot over from 12 yards, after Sol Campbell had headed down Nadir Belhadj's free-kick.
Campbell saw his goal-bound header blocked on the line by Pablo Zabaleta, before Lassana Diarra's shot was diverted over his own bar by Dunne.
But Robinho could scent his second goal in as many games and the 24-year-old nearly scored with some outrageous skill, only to be denied by a block.
Within seconds of the re-start, Jermain Defoe burst through on goal ahead of Micah Richards but finished woefully - poking his shot wide ... and that was that for Portsmouth.
City's third goal arrived in the 57th minute - and to general delight in the stadium, the scorer was that man Robinho. It was made by the irrepressible Stephen Ireland, who robbed Armand Traore and floated a ball over the top for Jo to knock into his compatriot's path - and Robinho finished expertly with a low strike into the corner.
The fourth was if anything even more popular with the City fans, as Wright-Phillips made it on to the scoresheet. Ireland was the provider again, delivering a perfect pass for Wright-Phillips to run on to and hammer a shot from a narrow angle past James at his near post.
Evans made it five after Robinho's step-overs flummoxed Campbell; Wright-Phillips executed a Brazilian-style back-heel, and the 19-year-old Welshman completed the job neatly from eight yards out.
Portsmouth were so shell-shocked it was no surprise when the sixth arrived. Robinho's cross from the left was dangerous; James just managed to stop Wright-Phillips from getting to it, but Fernandes followed up to slam the loose ball home.
Robinho was given a thunderous standing ovation when he was substituted with a few minutes remaining, before Evans crashed a volley a couple of yards too high.
Only the final whistle brought relief for Portsmouth.
The visitors had led for much of the contest following Park Ji-sung's first-half tap-in.
But 10 minutes from time, after Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack had tried and failed to break down United's stubborn defence, Kalou exposed United's poor offside trap by nodding home John Mikel Obi's free-kick 10 minutes from time.
Not for the first time in his illustrious career, Ferguson's team selection caused an outbreak of head scratching among United's army of fans.
Yet his choice of Park and Darren Fletcher worked a dream, especially with the Scot switching to the middle of midfield, a move that saw Owen Hargreaves take up a right-wing station.
Identifying Chelsea's full-backs Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole as major attacking threats, Ferguson chose to put his two most energetic men in direct opposition, keeping the home pair occupied defensively and stifling their threat in attack.
Despite their poor recent form, the Red Devils showed their attacking intent from the start, when Fletcher turned Hargreaves' low cross wide, and Chelsea, having lost Deco just before kick-off after the Portugal star was injured in the warm-up, could not get into their stride even though they could call upon Michael Ballack as replacement.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's team was further disrupted when Ricardo Carvalho hobbled off after just 12 minutes, so there was always a nagging fear Joe Cole's failure to find the net when he robbed Patrice Evra to give himself a clear sight of goal was going to prove costly.
Chelsea, already given one let off when Petr Cech's wayward clearance gave first Dimitar Berbatov, then Wayne Rooney the chance to launch speculative efforts at the home goal, survived again when Rooney set up Ferdinand, only for the home keeper to save with his legs.
But on their next attack, United finally prospered as Patrice Evra galloped past Bosingwa to reach Rooney's inspired through ball.
Evra's pinpoint cross found Berbatov and while Cech was once again equal to the shot, Park had the easiest of tasks to bundle home the rebound.
After spending nearly half an hour on the back foot, Chelsea finally got into their stride.
Gary Neville's back header spread panic in the visitors defence and when Edwin van der Sar came off worst in a collision with Florent Malouda, who might easily have scored, the veteran Dutchman was eventually forced from the field.
Chelsea's improved performance also brought out the spikier side in Paul Scholes, who was booked, although, with Nicolas Anelka also firing over on a couple of occasions, it was not until the arrival of Didier Drogba - following a brief delay due to an offending bracelet - that the home side really upped the ante.
Joe Cole should have done more with Anelka's low cross than prod it straight at Evra, then Jonny Evans - preferred to Wes Brown in central defence - got in the way of Bosingwa's shot.
Ferguson's response was to bring on Cristiano Ronaldo, who put the Chelsea defence on red alert with his direct running but also shamed himself with a blatant dive as Frank Lampard made a tackle.
In ignoring Anelka's pleas for a pass as Michael Ballack split United's defence wide open, Joe Cole needed to do better than blast his shot straight at Kuszczak, who was quickly becoming one of the visitors key men.
There would have been nothing the Pole could do to keep out Anelka's effort 18 minutes from time though as, from four yards out and with the goal at his mercy, the Frenchman inexplicably failed to make contact with Bosingwa's cross, the ball bouncing to safety off the Frenchman's standing leg.
But just as a wobbling Chelsea had eventually tumbled in the first-half, so United did the same 10 minutes from time.
In chopping down Ashley Cole, Rooney not only picked up his side's fifth booking. He also provided John Mikel Obi with the opportunity to float over a free-kick to the edge of the United six-yard box where the visitors, getting their marking and offside trap hopelessly wrong, left Kalou on his own to nod home the equaliser.
The game ended in bad tempered fashion as United, who had seven players booked, complained bitterly at referee Mike Riley for his handling of the game as Drogba was receiving treatment after being clattered by Ferdinand.
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