(CNN) -- When it comes to the theater, Jose Mourinho is the man who really does seem to sense that all the world's a stage.
On his return to the Bernabeu following the winter break, Mourinho was cast as villain once again as the home crowd poured forth their ire onto the Portuguese coach.
Forget that Real won this game against Real Sociedad 4-3 and did so after playing with ten men for most of the contest.
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It was Mourinho's decision to leave goalkeeper Iker Casillas, a national and Real treasure on the substitute bench, which had irked those in the stands.
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The natives are unhappy with Mourinho's management style, not to mention the fact that Real sits 16 points off league leader and great rival Barcelona after just 18 games.
Casillas, who started on the bench, entered the action after just six minutes when fellow goalkeeper Adan was sent off for a professional foul.
The Spain international played the remaining 84 minutes, but Mourinho was still subjected to criticism from the stands.
"Perfect. Let them whistle me before the match and then support the team as they are doing. I think the whistles are for leaving Casillas out and also because we are not achieving our aims in the championship," Mourinho told reporters.
"There are others who didn't applaud and are not happy with his (Casillas') performances. If I am not doing well it is normal that they whistle and it is something you have to live with. I don't want to be a hero independently of my performances."
"I told Adan before the game that the whistles he is likely to hear are for me and not for him but in my opinion there was a lack of respect for him.
"He is a player who has been 16 years at Real Madrid, he was born in Madrid and he didn't deserve that.
"Adan deserves to be happy but I don't know why in Spain that happened. The problem is that the press have turned an attack on Jose Mourinho into a lack of respect for Adan."
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While supporters may have been angry at Mourinho, they were at least treated to a thrilling affair with Real Sociedad playing a full part.
Xabi Prieto scored a hat-trick for the visitor, but still couldn't prevent Real from taking all three points.
Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and further strikes from Karim Benzema and Sami Khedira sealed the win.
Sociedad also finished the game with ten men after Dani Estrada was shown a second yellow card in the 80th minute.
Epinal supporters celebrated with their players following the shock penalty shootout victory over cup holder Lyon following a pulsating 3-3 draw. Lyon is second in Ligue 1, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain at the top.
Giant of Lyon laid low by Epinal
Whether striker Demba Ba will be playing for Newcastle after January has been the subject of intense speculation. The Senegal international is in talks with Chelsea after the London side triggered a £7 million ($11 million) release clause in his contract which became active again on January 1. It is "even (money) whether he'll stay or go," said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew.
Transfer window offers rich pickings
Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has opened talks with Juventus over a move to the Italian champions. The Spanish international will be free to move clubs when his contract expires in June.
January transfer window 2013
Elsewhere, Barcelona welcomed coach Tito Vilanova back from cancer surgery with a comfortable 4-0 win over city rival Espanyol.
Vilanova underwent an operation to remove a tumor from his lung after suffering a recurrence of a problem on his parotid gland -- located at the back of his mouth.
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"I would like to thank everyone for their support," Vilanova told reporters.
"This club has had a lot of knocks in the last couple of years but I always want to take the positive approach. What has happened to me could have happened to anyone.
"This is not over yet and there will be days that I can take training and others I can't, but I want the media to realize that this illness is mine and it is private."
Pedro Rodriguez hit a double with Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi also on target as Barca made it 17 league wins from 18 games.
Atletico Madrid sits 11 points adrift in second following a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, while Celta Vigo eased its relegation worries with a 3-1 win over Real Valladolid.
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In Italy, Juventus suffered a shock defeat after going down 2-1 at home to Sampdoria.
Sebastian Giovinco had given Juve a 24th minute lead from the penalty spot, but a classy double from Emanuel Icardi allowed Samporia to snatch all three points.
Juventus sits five points clear at the summit with Lazio in second following its 2-1 win at Cagliari on Saturday.
Juve's defeat will have come as a relief to Inter, which is already nine points off the pace and was beaten 3-0 by Udinese in Sunday's early game.
Antonio di Natale scored twice and Luis Muriel was also on target as Udinese eased to victory.
Napoli crushed Roma 4-1 thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Uruguay international Edinson Cavani.
Elsewhere, AC Milan claimed a 2-1 win over Siena thanks to goals from Bojan and Giampaolo Pazzini, while there were also wins for Chievo, Genoa and Parma.
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In the English FA Cup, arguably the most famous domestic knockout competition in world club football, Premier League giant Liverpool was given a scare by fifth tier side Mansfield.
Patrice Evra gave Manchester United a 16th minute lead at Swansea after heading home Robin van Persie's corner.
Stylish Swans hold United
In the absence of suspended skipper Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel captained Manchester United to European Champions League glory in 1999. United trailed Bayern Munich 1-0 heading into the 90th minute, but stunned the Germans by scoring twice in a matter of minutes to seal a famous 2-1 success. The win completed an historic Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble.
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The minnow put up a brave fight before going out 2-1 with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez scoring for Liverpool, which faces third tier Oldham in the next round.
In the day's other tie, Swansea and Arsenal finished level at 2-2 following a frantic second half.
Spain striker Michu gave the home side the lead before goals from Lukas Podolski and Kieran Gibbs appeared to have put Arsenal through.
But Danny Graham popped up with a late equaliser to ensure the teams meet again in a replay.
Demba Ba debut double fires Chelsea into fourth round
The winners of the tie will face Gus Poyet's Brighton & Hove Albion in the next round.
Other notable ties in the fourth round will see Premier League champions Manchester City travel to Crystal Palace or Stoke, West Ham or Manchester United host Fulham or Blackpool, while Chelsea will go to minnow Southend or local neighbors Brentford.
Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel insists he will be fit to play for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, despite missing the club's past three games with a knee injury.
"I'm okay," he told reporters. "I had a knock two weeks ago and was told to rest for some time, but now I am fit and I actually started training two days ago with the Chelsea first team.
"So there should be no fears about any injury. I'm ready for the Nations Cup."
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After Lyon's shock defeat to amateur side Epinal, league leader Paris Saint-Germain was given a scare of its very own in the French Cup.
Minnow Arras took PSG all the way to the wire before eventually falling to a 4-3 defeat in a thrilling cup tie.
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Epinal started the day second last in the National division, some 58 places below Lyon, but somehow managed to pull off the biggest shock of the round.
The Epinal players continued their celebrations in the changing rooms after defeating the seven-time Ligue 1 champion. The minnow had led 2-0 at one stage before finishing the 90 minutes at 3-3.
Lyon's French midfielder Steed Malbranque vies with Epinal's French defender Wilfried Rother as the home team get stuck into the top division side.
Epinal's French midfielder Tristan Boubaya races away to celebrate after netting against the giant of Lyon. Boubaya scored twice to give his side a 2-0 lead before Bafetembi Gomis and Gueida Fofana brought the visitor level.
Lisandro Lopez fired his side ahead for the first time in the contest from the penalty spot after 62 minutes as Lyon looked to have broken Epinal's heart.
Valentin Focki grabbed a 77th minute equalizer for the home side to ensure the game went into extra-time following a pulsating contest.
Epinal goalkeeper Olivier Robin was the hero of the day, helping his team win 4-2 on penalties to secure one of the greatest results in the club's history.
The Epinal celebrations look set to go long into the night. "It's magical and now we hope to reach the last 16 and make history," Epinal goalkeeper Robin told French radio.
Inter Milan's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who has not played for the Serie A club since September following a dispute over his contract, is another international likely to move during the January window.
Paris St. Germain spent $55 million to sign midfielder Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo. The 20-year-old becomes the sixth Brazilian at the ambitious French club.
Fernando Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool for $80 million in January 2011. He has struggled at Stamford Bridge, but the Spaniard's goalscoring form has been transformed since the arrival of new interim manager Rafa Benitez.
Liverpool bought Andy Carroll to replace Torres, but the former Newcastle striker found himself out in the cold at Anfield under new manager Brendan Rodgers last summer and is now on loan at Premier League rivals West Ham.
After Carroll's departure, Liverpool have been heavily reliant on Luis Suarez's goals this season. In a bid to provide more support for the Uruguayan striker, the Anfield club signed Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge on the second day of the January transfer window.
The future of veteran Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is also in doubt, with his present deal to expire in July. He is now free to agree pre-contract terms with a foreign club in January.
"I'm proud that so many great clubs have manifested an interest in me, but they will have to wait until the end of the season, then we will see what might happen," said Atletico Madrid's top scorer Radamel Falcao recently. "Leaving Atletico in the winter transfer window is absolutely not on."
AC Milan's Brazil international forward Alexandre Pato has been negotiating with Corinthians over a return to his homeland as he seeks to revive his career ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Former England captain David Beckham is another player looking for a club. French second division side Monaco had been interested in signing the 37-year-old former LA Galaxy midfielder.
Click here for more on Daniel Sturridge's switch from Chelsea to Liverpool.
Evra races away to celebrate with teammate Michael Carrick in hot pursuit as the league leaders make the perfect start in Wales.
Michu's 13th league goal of the season ensured Swansea grabbed a point from a pulsating contest. The Spaniard, who cost $3.2 million from Rayo Vallecano, has impressed since his arrival in the Premier League in July.
Ashley Williams and United's van Persie clash after the Swansea defender had kicked the ball against the Dutchman while he was on the floor. United manager Alex Ferguson was left fuming at Williams and said: "The Van Persie situation you can clearly see that he could have been killed."
Ferguson was left raging after seeing van Persie struck by the ball and vented his fury after the contest. He said: "It was absolutely deliberate. The whistle has gone, the game has stopped and he has done that right in front of the referee, he could have killed the lad. It was a disgraceful act by the player, he should banned for a long time."
David Luiz doubled Chelsea's lead on 29 minutes with a spectacular free-kick as Chelsea cruised past a young Villa side at Stamford Bridge.
Branislav Ivanovic grabbed his fourth league goal of the season to give Chelsea a three-goal lead at the break. The Serbia defender, who also scored at Leeds in midweek, headed home from close-range to wrap up the game after just 34 minutes.
Frank Lampard became Chelsea's all-time leading scorer in top-flight football after hitting his 130th goal on his 500th league start. Lampard's drive gave the home side a 4-0 lead as Villa began to wilt.
Ramires came off the bench to score twice as Chelsea eventually declared on eight. It could have been worse for Villa as Lucas Piazon missed a penalty. Eden Hazard and Oscar were also on target.
Schmeichel is backing Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund to pull off a shock and lift the Champions League for the second time in their history. The German title winners have been lauded for topping a group which contained Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.
Lionel Messi has been unstoppable in 2012, scoring a record 90 goals so far this calendar year. Barcelona will be looking to win the Champions League for the fourth time in seven years.
Jose Mourinho has already won the Champions League with two different clubs -- Inter Milan and Porto. Despite an indifferent start to the Spanish league season, Schmeichel is confident Mourinho has the ability to lead Real Madrid to a landmark 10th European triumph.
Manchester United sit top of the English Premier League as the season approaches its halfway point, but Alex Ferguson's team has leaked goals all season. Schmeichel thinks his old club will need defender Nemanja Vidic to return to his top form if United are to stand any chance of reaching May's Wembley final.
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