Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to 10 points after a 2-0 win at in-form Eibar on Saturday.
Third-placed Valencia left it late as they came from a goal down to beat bottom side Malaga 2-1, with both goals coming in the final 10 minutes.
Elsewhere, Alaves' remarkable revival continued as they beat Deportivo La Coruna and Sevilla won at struggling Las Palmas.
Here's a look at all of Saturday's results, the updated table and a recap of the best of Saturday's action.
Saturday's La Liga Results
Las Palmas 1-2 Sevilla
Eibar 0-2 Barcelona
Alaves 1-0 Deportivo La Coruna
Malaga 1-2 Valencia
La Liga Standings (Goal Difference)
1. Barcelona 62 (51)
2. Atletico Madrid 52 (25)
3. Valencia 46 (19)
4. Real Madrid 42 (27)
5. Sevilla 39 (-4)
6. Villarreal 37 (6)
7. Eibar 35 (-4)
8. Girona 34 (4)
9. Real Betis 33 (-7)
10. Celta Vigo 32 (7)
11. Getafe 30 (5)
12. Leganes 29 (-5)
13. Athletic Bilbao 28 (-1)
14. Alaves 28 (-11)
15. Real Sociedad 26 (-2)
16. Espanyol 26 (-10)
17. Levante 20 (-14)
18. Las Palmas 18 (-34)
19. Deportivo La Coruna 17 (-29)
20. Malaga 13 (-23)
Saturday Recap
Barcelona passed a stiff examination of their title credentials at Eibar, although Ernesto Valverde's side found it tough going against the hosts who pressed and harried the visitors throughout.
Lionel Messi once again proved the inspiration for the league leaders as he produced a superb through ball for Luis Suarez to round the goalkeeper and open the scoring after 16 minutes. The Argentinian has now equalled the Liga record for assists:
Messi then hit the post for Barca on another rare attack, with Eibar dominating the ball and looking the more likely team to score. However, the hosts suffered a blow just after the hour mark as the influential Fabian Orellana was sent off for a second bookable offence after punching the ball away.
Football journalist Euan McTear felt it might have been a good idea to have taken him off earlier:
The dismissal did not affect Eibar until two minutes from time when Jordi Alba fired home after goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic had denied Messi. The goal ensured victory for Barcelona and meant they had equalled their best unbeaten run in La Liga, per Opta:
It was a difficult game for Barcelona but an important win on a tough away ground. The three points also ends a run of two consecutive La Liga draws and sets them up for their next fixture, which is away to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League.
Sevilla moved into fifth place after a fourth La Liga win in a row as they won 2-1 in Las Palmas. Wissam Ben Yedder tapped home the opener after good work from Pablo Sarabia, who then grabbed the second.
Andrew Gaffney highlighted what a good buy Sarabia has been for Sevilla:
It was not all good news for Sevilla, as they lost Joaquin Correa to injury. Football Espana editor Colin Millar said it was a hamstring problem:
Las Palmas also pulled one back late on from the penalty spot through Jonathan Calleri, but it was too little too late for the hosts, who remain in trouble in the bottom three.
Meanwhile, Valencia looked on course for an embarrassing defeat at Malaga after Brown Ideye had headed the hosts in front.
However, the visitors rallied late on as Francis Coquelin equalised with his first goal for his new club. The former Arsenal man has been an excellent signing for Valencia, according to Spanish football journalist David Cartlidge:
Ignasi Miquel then saw red and conceded a penalty for a foul on Rodrigo Moreno with just six minutes of normal time remaining.
Dani Parejo converted the spot-kick to complete the turnaround and leave Malaga without a La Liga win since December.
Alaves were also winners on Saturday as Munir El Haddadi's brilliant strike from outside the box gave the hosts all three points. Opta showed how vital the Barcelona loanee has been to the club:
Football writer Sid Lowe noted how the team's form has improved since Abelardo Fernandez took charge of the club:
The win moves Alaves into 14th place in the table but, more importantly, now 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2BBaMaz
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