Lionel Messi was on target for an 18^th consecutive Primera Liga game as Barcelona maintained their 13-point Liga lead over Real Madrid with a 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou.  David Villa’s first-half opener set Barca on their way before Messi stole the show with a brace. Raul Tamudo reduced the deficit for Rayo, but his first goal of the season was no more than a consolation.

Real Madrid came from behind twice to beat struggling Mallorca 5-2 at the Bernabeu. Emilio Nsue and Alejandro Alfaro either side of Gonzalo Higuain’s strike gave the islanders a surprise 2-1 lead at half-time, but Jose Mourinho’s men hit back after the break with three goals in seven minutes. Ronaldo headed his 27th goal in as many Primera appearances and Luka Modric hit Real’s third before Higuain grabbed a second and Karim Benzema completed the scoring in added time.

Atletico Madrid remained a point behind their city rivals with a 2-0 win at Osasuna. Diego Costa scored either side of half-time to leave the men from Pamplona just four points clear of the drop zone.

Despite their success in the Champions League, Malaga’s poor home form in La Liga continued as they crashed 2-0 against Espanyol at La Rosaleda. Second-half goals from Diego Colotto and Sergio Garcia saw Manuel Pellegrini’s team drop to sixth.

Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Real Sociedad took advantage of Malaga’s slip-up to move up to fourth with an impressive 4-1 home win against Real Valladolid. The Basques have now gone ten games without defeat, scoring 22 times in the process. Imanol Agirretxe and Xabi Prieto were Sociedad’s other scorers, with Javi Guerra getting a late consolation for Valladolid.

Valencia climbed to fifth with a 3-0 defeat over ten-man Real Betis. Antonio Amaya’s early red card for bringing down Roberto Soldado was punished further as Soldado scored from the resulting penalty, before Paulao’s own goal and Jonas’ late strike sealed the win for Los Che.

Jorge Andujar Moreno – otherwise known as Coke – scored twice as Sevilla hit four past lowly Real Zaragoza without reply. Juan Antonio Reyes and Alfredo Negredo were also on target for Sevilla while the visitors had Stefan Babovic dismissed for a second yellow card.

Last-placed Deportivo La Coruna registered only their fourth win of the season, beating fellow strugglers Celta Vigo 3-1. Riki, Silvio and Diogo Solomao were all on target for Depor, with Park Chou-Young pulling a late goal back for the visitors. Celta, who had Iago Aspas sent off after being shown a straight red card for violent conduct, have taken just four points from 15 games on the road and are looking like favourites to accompany Depor straight back to La Segunda.

Borja Fernandez scored the only goal of the game as Getafe beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 to remain in eighth place, just a point behind Betis, while Granada drew 1-1 at home against Levante, Siqueira’s first-half penalty for La Grana cancelled out by Robert Acquafresca five minutes after the break.

Lionel Messi scored his 40th goal of the Primera Liga campaign as Barcelona beat basement boys Deportivo while Atletico Madrid’s hundred per cent home record was ended, allowing Real Madrid  to usurp them in second place.

A below-strength Barca bounced back from successive Clasico defeats with a routine win over the Galician strugglers at Camp Nou, but only a first half Alexis Sanchez header separated the teams until the final minutes when Messi, on as a substitute for David Villa, sealed the win.

With reserve keeper Pinto between the sticks, Barca managed their first clean sheet in 14 games, the suspended Victor Valdes having been red-carded at the end of El Clasico a week previously.

Real Madrid overtook neighbours Atletico, but remain 13 points behind Barca after a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo. Cristiano Ronaldo put Los Blancos in front after the break, before Iago Aspas equalised almost immediately. Jose Mourinho’s men struggled to make their superiority count, but Ronaldo’s 72nd-minute spot-kick made the difference as Celta fell to nineteenth place.

Atletico slipped to a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad, dropping their first points of the season at the Vicente Calderon. Xabier Prieto’s 53rd minute strike took Sociedad to fifth, level on points with Malaga, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Valladolid. Former Bayern Munich defender Martin Demichelis headed in to give Manuel Pellegrini’s side an early lead, only for Manucho to level before the interval.

Real Betis are sixth after beating Osasuna 2-1 on a sodden pitch at the Benito Villamarin. Jorge Molina gave Pepe Mel’s men an early lead, which they held until sixteen minutes from time, when Francisco Silva equalised, only for Ruben Castro to grab the points for Betis five minutes later. Valencia missed the chance to go above both Malaga and Sociedad, slipping to seventh with a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao, Iker Muniain getting the vital goal eleven minutes from the end.

Levante and Getafe played out a 0-0 draw at the Ciutat de Valencia to leave both sides in mid-table. A similar scoreline between Zaragoza and Granada left both clubs hovering too close to the danger zone for comfort.

Chori Dominguez and Piti, with his 11th goal of the season, were on target as Rayo Vallecano maintained hopes of a Europa League spot with a 2-0 at home against Espanyol, while at the bottom an Alejandro Alfonso double helped Mallorca overcome Sevilla 2-1. Alfredo Negredo scored for inconsistent Sevilla but the islanders’ win, their first at home since September, could be vital in their quest to avoid relegation.

For the second time in a week, Real Madrid emerged victorious from El Clasico as the form of runaway leaders Barcelona continued to stutter. The Blaugrana’s lead over Atletico was reduced to 11 points as Los Colchoneros were held at Malaga, while Los Blancos are now just two points behind their city rivals.

Having already beaten Barca in the Copa del Rey in midweek, Jose Mourinho’s men repeated the trick in La Liga in far more convincing fashion than the scoreline suggests. Technical assistant Jordi Roura is overseeing the side in the absence of Tito Vilanova, who is continuing his recuperation from cancer surgery in New York, but Barca appear to be lacking leadership and have become predictable.

Karim Benzema put a significantly weakened Madrid ahead at the Bernabeu after just five minutes and, although Lionel Messi hit back quickly for full-strength Barca, the home side were on top throughout. Despite their dominance, Madrid had to wait until eight minutes from time for Sergio Ramos’ winner, while Barca keeper Victor Valdes received two yellow cards for dissent.

The Barca hierarchy will be grateful for the 11 point cushion separating them from Atletico, but must be concerned at their team’s inability to break down a Madrid side that saw many star names rested ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester United. At the same time, Mourinho will be starting to believe his men can still pull off an unlikely title coup.

Meanwhile, Atletico and fourth-placed Malaga fought out a goalless draw at La Rosaleda, amidst mounting speculation that Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini could be destined for the Premier League. The Chilean, a former boss at the Bernabeu, has been linked with a move to either Chelsea or Manchester City in the summer.

Valencia remain fifth following their city derby with Levante at Mestalla. Vicente Iborra put the visitors ahead early on, only for Jonas to equalise for Los Che. The home side took the lead after the break through Roberto Soldado, but Jose Barkero salvaged a point for Juan Ignacio Martinez’ men, whose own European hopes appear to be fading fast.

There was high excitement at Anoeta, where Real Sociedad and Real Betis shared six goals. Betis took a 2-0 lead with goals from Jorge Molina and Dorlan Pabon, but Sociedad hit back with three goals in 12 second half minutes, courtesy of Carlos Vela, Inigo Martinez and a Xabi Prieto penalty. Pabon grabbed his second as both sides took a well-deserved point.

Sevilla striker Alfredo Negredo was the star at the Sanchez Pizjuan in the Monday night game as the home side hammered Celta Vigo 4-1.  Negredo struck twice in the first half hour and, although Augusto Fernandez pulled one back for Celta, Gary Medel restored Sevilla’s two-goal cushion. Negredo then completed his hat-trick to leave the northerners firmly entrenched in the relegation mire.

Basement side Deportivo gained a point in a goalless home draw with Rayo Vallecano but remain seven points from safety, while Mallorca improved their chances of recovery by winning 2-1 at Granada. Nolito gave El Grano an early lead, which was cancelled out by Alejandro Alfaro and a draw seemed inevitable until Tomer Hemed’s injury time winner gave the islanders some hope of avoiding the drop.

Elsewhere, Getafe stayed within touching distance of a Europa League place with a 2-0 win over Zaragoza. Adrian Colunga and Sergio Escudero were on target for the Madrid side. Athletic Bilbao beat Osasuna 1-0 in an all-Basque encounter in Pamplona, thanks to with a second-half strike from Markel Susaeta, and Espanyol played out a goalless draw with Real Valladolid.

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid all won again at the weekend, with the Catalans maintaining their 12-point lead at the top of La Liga and the two capital clubs vying for the runners-up spot. A more intriguing drama is the unfolding battle for the fourth Champions League place with no less than five sides in contention.

Barcelona failed to keep a clean sheet for the 11^th consecutive game against Sevilla at Camp Nou.  Lionel Messi’s winner meant the Argentine has now scored against every La Liga opponent this season, with the exception of Celta Vigo, who the Blaugrana face at the end of March. For the second week running, Barca were forced to come from behind to secure the three points following Alberto Botia’s goal for Sevilla just before half-time. David Villa equalised after the break before Messi’s decider.

Atletico were indebted to a 37^th minute penalty from Radamel Falcao – the Colombian’s 21st goal of the season – as they laboured to a 1-0 win over Espanyol at the Vicente Calderon.  The home side’s task was made harder when Gabi Fernandez was shown the yellow card twice in the last 15 minutes of the first half.

At the Riazor, Riki’s ninth goal of the season gave basement side Deportivo a half-time lead over Real Madrid. Depor, whose grasp on a Primera Liga place next season looks more tenuous with every passing game, put up a spirited display but were undone by Kaka’s equaliser and Gonzalo Higuain’s late winner. Los Blancos’ Angel Di Maria received two yellow cards in second half injury time.

Fourth-placed Malaga crashed 3-0 at Real Betis, with Jorge Molina , Mario  and Dorlan Pabon doing the damage for Pepe Mel’s men. Malaga had Ignacio Camacho dismissed early in the second half after receiving two yellow cards and are now just a point ahead of fifth-placed Valencia, for whom Jonas rescued a 2-0 deficit at Zaragoza.  An Apono penalty and a Helder Postiga strike gave the home side the lead, but Jonas’ double restored parity for Los Che. Zaragoza were left hanging on when their goalkeeper Leonardo Franco was shown a straight red card 15 minutes from time for handling outside the area.

Over-achieving Rayo Vallecano slipped up at home, going down 2-1 against Real Valladolid. Rayo defender Jordi Amat had an eventful second half, scoring an own goal to give Valladolid the lead before equalising a minute later. Manucho’s winner leaves Valladolid firmly in mid-table.

Real Sociedad came out on top in the Basque derby at San Mames to reinforce sixth-place – a point behind Valencia and two adrift of Malaga – and plunge Athletic Bilbao further towards the relegation mix. Ibai Gomez struck first for San Sebastian before goals from Antoine Griezmann, Imanol Agirretxe and Carlos Vela gave the men from San Sebastian a 3-1 win.

Celta Vigo’s 2-1 victory over Granada means they remain in the bottom three but with a lifeline, just two points behind Zaragoza. Iago Aspas and Mario Bermejo were on target for Celta while Odion Ighalo scored Granada’s goal.

Osasuna leap-frogged above Zaragoza, Athletic Bilbao and Granada with a surprise win at fading Levante. The game at the Ciutat de Valencia looked to be heading for a scoreless draw until the Iranian Masoud Soleimani gave the Pamplona outfit the lead with two minutes of normal time remaining. Kike Sola sealed the win in added time as Osasuna registered only their second away win of the season.

Giovani’s first half strike looked to have set Mallorca on the way to three much-needed points at home to Getafe, but a Diego Castro penalty levelled matters for the Madrid outfit before two late goals from Adrian Colunga deprived Gregorio Manzano’s men of a point. Mallorca are now only two points ahead of Deportivo and seven points from safety.

Lionel Messi hit his 300^th goal in a Barcelona shirt as the runaway leaders of La Liga came from a goal behind to defeat Granada on Saturday. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid both won on Sunday to maintain second and third place respectively on a weekend when all of the top five were winners.

At Los Carmenes, Granada continued the good form that has seen them climb away from the danger zone when Odion Ighalo exposed Barca’s defensive frailties to register a surprise half-time lead. Messi restored parity with his 300^th goal for La Blaugrana before his 301^st rubber-stamped the three points with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Atletico Madrid maintained their four-point lead over their city rivals, winning 3-0 at Real Valladolid. Radamel Falcao’s 20th of the season gave Atleti a first-half lead, Diego Costa extended it shortly after the break and Cebolla Rodriguez sealed it in the 90^th minute.

Meanwhile, an under-strength Real Madrid team made heavy weather of beating Rayo Vallecano 2-0.  Rookie striker Alvaro Morata scored in the third minute and Sergio Ramos doubled Los Blancos’ advantage in the twelfth. The fiery defender was dismissed on 17 minutes after collecting two yellow cards in the space of 44 seconds, leaving Jose Mourinho’s side to play out the remainder of the match with 10 men.

Malaga and Valencia both won at home to maintain fourth and fifth place respectively. Javier Saviola’s 18^th minute strike was enough for Malaga to overcome Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at La Rosaleda, while Valencia defeated Mallorca 2-0 at Mestalla. Gregorio Manzano’s visitors made a difficult task even harder when Tino Costa saw red after half an hour and, after a scoreless first half, goals from Ricardo Costa and Roberto Soldado gave Valencia the points.

Real Sociedad maintained sixth position with a 1-1 draw against Levante at Anoeta in a game highlighted by two penalties and a red card. Carlos Vela’s 17^th minute spot-kick for Sociedad was cancelled out by Michel’s on half an hour. The men from Valencia had Nikos Karabelas sent off as the sides shared the points.

There were contrasting fortunes for the two Sevilla sides. Real Betis slipped up at ever-improving Espanyol, for whom Sergio Garcia’s seventh-minute goal was enough, while Sevilla beat Deportivo 3-1 on Friday night to leave the Galicians in a parlous state at the foot of the table. All the goals came in the first half at the Sanchez Pizjuan, with Ivan Rakitic and two from Gary Medel giving Sevilla the advantage and Riki netting for Depor.

Kike Sola’s fourth-minute goal eased Osasuna’s relegation worries as the Pamplona side beat Zaragoza 1-0 but, with Mallorca losing at Valencia and Celta beaten 3-1 at Getafe, daylight is beginning to appear between the bottom three and the rest. Adrian Colunga, Diego Castro and Fede Fernandez were on target for Getafe, with Augusto Fernandez’ first half goal for Celta barely a consolation.

Six different players got on the score sheet for Barcelona on Sunday as the runaway leaders thumped Getafe 6-1, while Real Madrid had a convincing win over Sevilla but remain 16 points behind the Catalans.

With coach Tito Vilanova convalescing following his recent cancer surgery, technical assistant Jordi Roura had the simplest of tasks in overseeing La Blaugrana’s latest victory at Camp Nou on their seemingly unstoppable path to another La Liga title. The unpopular noon kick-off time appeared the only issue of concern, but any doubts about that were quickly dispelled when Alexis Sanchez put Barca ahead after only six minutes.

Lionel Messi grabbed a second, with David Villa and Cristian Tello adding the third and fourth in the second half. By the time Alvaro Vazquez scored a consolation for Getafe seven minutes from time, it was game over, but there was still time for Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique to make it six for Barca.

Cristiano Ronaldo warmed up for his Champions League reunion with Manchester United on Wednesday by hitting a hat-trick for Real Madrid Saturday as Los Blancos put the disappointment of last week’s 1-0 defeat at Granada behind them to dispatch Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabeu.

Having set up Karim Benzema for Madrid’s opener, the Portuguese struck his 180^th goal in 179 La Liga appearances before going on to complete his 20^th treble for Real Madrid with a trademark free kick. Both sides finished with 10 men, with Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain and Sevilla’s Hedwiges Maduro both receiving two yellow cards.

Second placed Atletico Madrid slipped up, losing 2-1 at Rayo Vallecano.  Lass and Leo Baptistao put Rayo in control with first half goals and Radamel Falcao’s injury time strike for Atletico was too little, too late. Atletico trail Barcelona by eight points and are now only four clear of city rivals Real. Rayo’s win keeps them in contention for a place in Europe, in sixth place, level on points with Valencia.

Meanwhile, Isco Alarcon, who made his international debut for Spain against Uruguay last week, scored twice for Malaga, who came from behind to beat Levante at the Ciutat de Valencia. Jose Barkero put the home side ahead in the first half, but Isco struck either side of the break to grab an important win that leaves Malaga in fourth place.  Valencia, who won 1-0 at Celta Vigo with an injury-time goal from Nelson Valdez, are now fifth, two points behind Malaga.

Real Sociedad climbed to seventh with a 2-1 win at Zaragoza. First half goals from Antoine Griezmann and Imanol Agirretxe put the San Sebastian side in charge, with Apono’s injury-time penalty no more than a consolation. Real Betis are level on points with Sociedad after being held to a goalless draw by Real Valladolid.

Athletic Bilbao’s erratic form continued as they crashed 4-0 to improving Espanyol at San Mames.  Hector Moreno, Victor Sanchez, Christian Stuani and Joan Verdu were all on target for Espanyol, who are on an upward trajectory, while Athletic are in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle.

At the bottom, Deportivo crashed 3-0 at home to Granada to leave their prospects of preserving their Primera status looking even slimmer. The visitors, who have been flirting with the drop zone themselves, are now six points clear of the danger zone, thanks to a Carlos Marchena own goal, an Odion Ighalo strike and a Siqueira penalty. Depor, whose captain Manuel Pablo received a straight red card for dissent, are five points from safety. Coach Domingos Paciencia resigned after the defeat, bringing to an end a turbulent six weeks in charge, and former Celta Vigo boss Fernando Vazquez was rapidly installed as the third coach this season at Riazor.

Mallorca grabbed an injury-time equaliser to draw 1-1 with Osasuna in Gregorio Manzano’s first match in charge at the Iberostar. Lolo put the visitors ahead with a quarter of an hour remaining, but Pedro Geromel rescued a vital point for the islanders, who remain in the relegation zone, while Osasuna hover just two points above it.

Real Madrid’s dismal showing at Granada on Saturday, capped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s own goal, encapsulated all that has gone wrong in a disastrous season for Jose Mourinho’s side. Barcelona could only draw at Valencia, while Atletico Madrid won 1-0 against Real Betis, meaning that Los Blancos now trail Atletico by seven points and are a massive 16 points behind Barca.

Barca were held to a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla by Ernesto Valverde’s improving Valencia side. Both goals came in the first half, with Ever Banega’s opener for Los Che cancelled out by a Lionel Messi penalty after Joao Pereira fouled Pedro. Messi has now scored in 12 consecutive matches, another Primera record broken by the Argentine.

Real Madrid were condemned to a 1-0 defeat  at Los Carmenes when the Portuguese icon headed past his own goalkeeper, Diego Lopez, as he tried to head clear a corner from Nolito. Mourinho’s men fought hard for an equaliser, substitute Karim Benzema squandering a golden opportunity late on, but Granada held on for a win that lifts them out of the danger zone.

Atletico overcame Betis at the Vicente Calderon thanks to Diego Costa’s second half strike, while Malaga  remain fourth, despite being surprisingly held 1-1 at La Rosaleda by lowly Zaragoza. Helder Postiga’s eighth of the season for Zaragoza was cancelled out by Isco. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are just a point ahead of Betis and two in front of Valencia and Rayo Vallecano as competition for European places hots up.

Rayo slipped up with a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring for the home side, but Chori Dominguez equalised for Rayo. Alfredo Negredo, mentioned as an EPL target before the closure of the transfer window, netted the winner for Sevilla, who had Rakitic dismissed in stoppage time for a second yellow card.

Espanyol’s recovery continued as goals from Christian Stuani, Sergio Garcia and a Vicente Iborra own goal dented Levante’s Europa League aspirations. The Barcelona side were always on top at the Cornella-El Prat, and ran out winners by the odd goal in five. Ruben Garcia and Obafemi Martins were on target for the visitors.

Real Valladolid conceded a 2-0 lead to allow Athletic Bilbao to claim a point that leaves both sides firmly in the mid-table pack. Javi Guerra and Albero Bueno put La Pucela two up within 15 minutes, but Oscar De Marcos and Markel Susaeta rescued a point for the Basques.

Deportivo’s position at the bottom worsened as they crashed 3-1 at Getafe. Depor took an early lead through Pizzi’s spot-kick after Getafe keeper Miguel Angel Moya received a straight red card for bringing down Riki. The hosts had Aguilar dismissed, but goals from Alvaro Vazquez and Adrian Colunga sealed it for Getafe after Diego Castro equalised with a penalty.

Alongside Granada’s shock victory, there was also a rare win for Osasuna that lifted them out of the bottom three. Emiliano Armenteros scored the only goal of the game against Celta Vigo, who replaced them in the bottom three.

Mallorca’s plight worsened as they crashed 3-0 at Real Sociedad. Chory Castro, Carlos Vela and Diego Ifran all hit second-half goals to leave Sociedad just a point behind Rayo and keep Mallorca deep in the relegation mire.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick on Saturday saw Real Madrid to a comfortable 4-0 win over Getafe but, just as Los Blancos have spent the season in Barcelona’s substantial shadow, so CR7 was outdone by Lionel Messi. The magical Argentine hit four in Barca’s 5-1 demolition of Osasuna as Tito Vilanova’s men extended their lead over Atletico Madrid to 11 points.

Messi’s quadruple strike at Camp Nou took his La Liga tally for the season to 32 (Ronaldo now has 21) and confirmed that last week’s slip up at Real Sociedad was nothing more than a blip. The margin of victory also highlighted Osasuna’s continuing problems. The Pamplona side, who played more than an hour with 10 men after Arribas was sent off, have been stranded in the bottom three all season and look increasingly like relegation material .

Second-placed Atletico surprisingly slipped up losing 3-0 to struggling Athletc Bilbao. It was a measure of revenge for the Basques, who were beaten by Atleti in the Europa League final in May. Atletico’s defeat meant city rivals Real closed the gap between the two to just four points.

Malaga remain fourth after beating Mallorca 3-2 in an exciting encounter at the Iberostar. Goals from Javier Saviola and Isco gave Malaga an early lead before Victor Casadesus pulled one back for the home side. Nacho Monreal extended the visitors’ lead and although Giovani dos Santos scored for Mallorca with 20 minutes remaining, Manuel Pellegrini’s men held on.

Goals from Jonas, Nelson Valdez and Ricardo Costa’s injury-time winner saw Valencia home against nine-man Deportivo. Los Che had to come from behind after a brace from Riki had put them 2-1 ahead, but the home side gave them a helping hand by having Silvio and Paulo Assuncao dismissed.  Depor remain rooted to the bottom and look increasingly likely to be making a swift return to La Segunda.

Rayo Vallecano continue to over achieve and consolidated sixth place with a 3-0 win over fifth place Betis. Piti, Andrija Delibasic and Jose Carlos were on target for Rayo.

Sevilla ran out 3-0 winners in the Andalucian derby to increase Granada’s relegation worries.  Geoffrey Kondogbia, Alfredo Negredo and Gary Medel were on target for Sevilla.

Elsewhere, Levante remained in contention for a Europa League place with a 2-1 win over Real Valladolid. Celta and Real Sociedad shared two goals while Zaragoza-Espanyol finished goalless.