The Madrid derby mostly helped Barcelona, getting within one point of the league leaders after an easy win over Almeria, while Atletico Madrid remain at third, three points behind Real Madrid, leading the table for another week.
Athletic Bilbao took another step towards the Champions League with a big win over Granada, while Real Sociedad lost at Sevilla.
Athletic Bilbao 4 Granada 0: A very impressive performance from one of the biggest surprises this season, as Bilbao remain on course for a Champions League spot. Aitor Aduriz scored a hat trick and Carlos Gurpegui added a late fourth in a Friday night demolition.
Malaga 1 Valladolid 1: It was a much better performance for Malaga as they try to distance themselves away from the bottom and started well through Roque Santa Cruz, but Daniel Larsson equalized, keeping Valldolid three points away from safety.
Levante 2 Osasuna 0: Levante continue their excellent 2014 run continue, making it eight matches without a loss thanks to first half goals from Pape Diop and Ruben Garcia, before hanging on to the lead for the last half hour after the sending off of Víctor Casadesús.
Getafe 0 Espanyol 0: Espanyol didn’t get any closer to a European spot, while Getafe are still in relegation trouble after a boring match that was mostly about fouls and anxiousness, with 7 yellow cards being used.
Elche 1 Celta 0: Both teams seem like they’re safe, with nothing to fear but also no aspirations for Europe, in the middle of the table. Elche won through a beautiful strike by sub Carles Gil in the 84th minute.
Villarreal 1 Betis 1: A horrid performance from the home side, hurting their champions league chances, and also losing Uche to a red card in the 80th minute. Bruno, via penalty, gave them an undeserved lead from the penalty spot but desperate Betis scored through Ruben Castro, making it only their third point this season away from home.
Atletico Madrid 2 Real Madrid 2: Not great football, but everything else was perfect. Real Madrid scored right out of the gates through the scorching Karim Benzema, but were lucky to finish with a draw; Koke and Gabi scored for Atletico Madrid who deserved to win, but a defensive mistake allowed Cristiano Ronaldo a poach and a point to keep them on top of the table.
Sevilla 1 Sociedad 0: A huge win for Sevilla, getting them a little bit closer to European qualification, and distances Sociedad from the champions league thanks to a late winner from Kevin Gameiro.
Barcelona 4 Almeria 1: The most predictable result of the weekend, as Alexis Sanchez, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol and Xavi scored for the champions, while Ángel Trujillo with a 27th minute goal made it interesting for a little while.
Rayo 1 Valencia 0: A blow for Valencia’s European hopes and a lifeline for Rayo’s survival, with Joaquin Larrivey providing the difference. Valencia finished the match with 10 men after Antonio Barragan was sent off.
League Table
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||||
| 1 |  |
Real Madrid | 26 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 73 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 16 | 47 | 64 | |||
| 2 | |
Barcelona | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 74 | 21 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 53 | 63 | |||
| 3 | |
Atletico Madrid | 26 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 61 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 12 | 40 | 61 | |||
| 4 | |
Athletic Bilbao | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 50 | |||
| 5 | |
Villarreal | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 47 | 31 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 44 | |||
| 6 | |
Real Sociedad | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 46 | 36 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 28 | 10 | 43 | |||
| 7 | |
Sevilla FC | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 41 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 24 | 3 | 38 | |||
| 8 | |
Levante | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 26 | 31 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 21 | -5 | 36 | |||
| 9 | |
Valencia | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 35 | |||
| 10 | |
Espanyol | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 29 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 17 | -3 | 33 | |||
| 11 | |
Celta Vigo | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 37 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 21 | -5 | 30 | |||
| 12 | |
Elche | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 26 | -14 | 29 | |||
| 13 | |
Osasuna | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 23 | -15 | 29 | |||
| 14 | |
Granada | 26 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 22 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 21 | -14 | 27 | |||
| 15 | |
Getafe | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 40 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 22 | -17 | 27 | |||
| 16 | |
Malaga | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 24 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 26 | |||
| 17 | |
Almeria | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 25 | 46 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 31 | -21 | 26 | |||
| 18 | |
Real Valladolid | 26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 28 | 44 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 30 | -16 | 23 | |||
| 19 | |
Rayo Vallecano | 26 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 26 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 30 | -33 | 23 | |||
| 20 | |
Real Betis | 26 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 56 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 35 | -35 | 15 |
Top Scorers
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – 23 Goals
2. Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid) – 21 Goals
3. Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona) – 16 Goals