Yet another unbeaten club suffered their first loss of the 2016-17 La Liga season, as Villarreal and manager Fran Escriba lost away to Eibar this past weekend.
Leaders Real Madrid stayed on top of the table and are now the only undefeated side in the Spanish first division.
We take a look at highlights and results from around La Liga.
ATLETICO MADRID 4 MALAGA CF 2 – SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH – ESTADIO VICENTE CALDERON
Atletico Madrid bounced back from their first league loss of 2016-17 with a resounding 4-2 victory at home against Malaga on Saturday. The result puts Los Rojiblancos in third place, three points behind Real Madrid.
A physical and tough encounter saw Atletico strike first. Yannick Carrasco (7’) and Kevin Gameiro (25’) gave the hosts an early 2-0 lead before Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez brought one back for the visitors in the 31st minute.
Gameiro added a second goal just before halftime to make it 3-1.
Atletico and manager Diego Simeone appeared in trouble late on, as centre-back Stefan Savic was sent off with his second yellow card in the 60th minute. Moments later, Malaga’s Ignacio Camacho scored to make it 3-2.
But it was not to be for Los Boquerones, as Carrasco scored his second of the match to seal the three points for Atletico.
DEPORTIVO ALAVES 1 REAL MADRID CF 4 – SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH – ESTADIO MENDIZORROZA
A hat-trick for Cristiano Ronaldo powered Real Madrid to a 4-1 victory at Alaves on Saturday. Ronaldo now has seven goals across all competitions this season.
The hosts took a surprising lead early on, with forward Deyverson scoring in the seventh minute. Unfortunately for Alaves, strong play for much of the match did not translate to a successful result.
Two goals from Ronaldo (17’, 33’) gave Los Blancos a 2-1 halftime lead. Alvaro Morata struck in the 84th minute, and Ronaldo’s third of the match (88’) ended a frustrating encounter for Alaves.
Real Madrid now prepares to host CD Leganes on Sunday.
BARCELONA 1 GRANADA CF 0 – SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH – CAMP NOU
Barcelona had their hands full on Saturday, as the Blaugrana defeated a struggling Granada side 1-0 at home. A goal from Rafinha in the 49th minute was enough for Luis Enrique’s side to find the victory.
An organised and disciplined defence from Granada was impressive throughout, along with an excellent performance from goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Despite 16 shots in the match, Barcelona scored just once.
The win puts Barcelona in second place, only two points behind Real Madrid.
SD EIBAR 2 VILLARREAL CF 1 – SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH – ESTADIO MUNICIPAL DE IPURUA
Villarreal lost their first match of the La Liga season, as Eibar continued their good start to the campaign with a 2-1 home victory on Sunday afternoon.
Villarreal midfielder Bruce Soriano gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with a first-half penalty, and the defence seemed set to see out a difficult encounter.
But late goals from Ivan Ramis (80’) and Pedro Leon (87’) capped off an incredible night for Eibar and the home supporters.
Eibar now sits eighth in the league table, while Villarreal slips to fifth.
UD LAS PALMAS 3 CELTA VIGO 3 – SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH – ESTADIO DE GRAN CANARIA
A wild tale of two halves saw Las Palmas and Celta Vigo battle to a 3-3 draw on Sunday night. The visitors scored three goals in the first half, only to see Las Palmas score three of their own in the second half.
Strikes from Daniel Wass (6’) and Iago Aspas (14’, 21’) gave Celta a 3-0 halftime advantage. Pedro Bigas brought one back for Las Palmas in the 52nd minute, but the major turning point was just moments away.
A red card to Celta centre-back Sergi Gomez opened the floodgates. Jonathan Viera (66’) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (68’) levelled the match within minutes, and a frenetic finish from both sides ended with the clubs splitting points on the evening.
Las Palmas now prepare to host Eibar on Saturday, while Celta Vigo will host Valencia on Sunday.
AROUND LA LIGA
FRIDAY OCTOBER 28TH
CD LEGANES 0 – REAL SOCIEDAD 2
SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH
SPORTING GIJON 1 – SEVILLA FC 1
SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH
ATHLETIC BILBAO 1 – CA OSASUNA 1
REAL BETIS 0 – RCD ESPANYOL 1
MONDAY OCTOBER 31ST
DEPORTIVO DE LA CORUNA 1 – VALENCIA CF 1
