Monday brought an end to the 14th match-week of La Liga 2018-19. The past week saw some surprise results, the renaissance of a few players, and the usual dose of action and drama. League-topper Barcelona, under the management of Ernesto Valverde, have seemingly become an unstoppable force, while both league big boys – Atletico Madrid and Sevilla– faced setbacks. 

A thrilling weekend in La Liga saw Real Madrid earning a resounding win against Valencia. Barcelona overcame Villareal with goals from Gerard Pique and Carles Alena sending them 1 point clear at the top of the table as a second-placed Sevilla missed the chance to go back to the top when they drew with fourth-placed Alaves. Girona played their skins out to hold 3rd placed Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano.

 

Real Madrid 2 – 0 Valencia

Real Madrid battled to a 2-0 home win against Valencia in La Liga thanks to an early own goal scored by Daniel Wass and a late Lucas Vazquez strike. Isco was back in the squad after being left out entirely for the Champions League win at Roma in midweek, but Santiago Solari again opted not to name the Spain playmaker in the XI. Marcos Llorente thrived in midfield in Isco’s absence but Madrid needed an eighth-minute intervention from Wass to take the lead on Saturday.

 

Barcelona 2 – 0 Villareal

Barcelona moved above Sevilla to the top of La Liga as Gerard Pique and Carles Alena scored to secure a win over struggling Villarreal. Pique headed in Ousmane Dembele’s right-wing cross for the opening goal. And youngster Alena scored his first La Liga goal when he chipped the ball over Sergio Asenjo from Lionel Messi’s through ball.

 

Alaves 1 – 1 Sevilla

Sevilla missed the chance to go back to the top when they drew 1-1 at fourth-placed Alaves later on Sunday. They had looked set for defeat following Jony’s close-range finish but Wissam Ben Yedder’s strike saved a point for the visitors.

 

Rayo Vallecano 1 – 0 Eibar

Rayo Vallecano got their first home victory of the 2018-2019 La Liga season after defeating Eibar 1-0 on a solid performance by goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Rayo marks the end of an 11-game winless streak, though they remain in the drop zone with just 10 points from 14 matches. Eibar, with 18 points, are 10th in La Liga.

 

Celta Vigo 2 – 0 Huesca

Iago Aspas scored twice as Celta Vigo got back on track in La Liga with a 2-0 victory over Huesca. Aspas scored in each half as Celta ended a four-match winless streak in all competitions. The result moved Celta to 11th place in the standings, six points clear of the relegation zone.

 

Valladolid 2 – 4 Leganes

Leganes surprised Valladolid with a 4-2 win at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Saturday evening. Dimitris Siovas and Oscar Rodriguez had Leganes coasting with a two-goal lead before Toni Villa reduced the deficit after the break. A Guido Carrillo doubles then put the game beyond any doubt though, leaving Enes Unal’s stoppage-time goal to be no more than a consolation.

 

Getafe 3 – 0 Espanyol

Getafe’s excellent form continued, with the hosts defeating Espanyol 3-0 on the outskirts of the capital city. All the goals came in the second half as the Catalan visitors collapsed, and it was Jorge Molina who broke the deadlock soon after the restart. The lead doubled through Jaime Mata minutes later, leaving Vitorino Antunes to find the bottom corner from range with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

 

Real Betis 1 – 0 Real Sociedad

A first-half goal from Dominican left-back Junior Firpo on Sunday led Real Betis to a 1-0 La Liga win over Real Sociedad, who saw its victorious run end at two matches. Betis managed to open the scoring in the 33rd minute when an unmarked Junior Firpo fired home.

 

Girona 1 – 1 Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid missed the chance to go top of La Liga after drawing at Girona. Girona striker Cristhian Stuani struck the opener from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Jan Oblak, becoming the league’s leading goalscorer in the process with 11 for the season. Atletico were on course for a first domestic defeat since 1 September but Jonas Ramalho’s own goal denied Girona. 

 

Levante 3 – 0 Athletic Bilbao

Levante recorded a resounding 3-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league on Monday. Chema Rodriguez, Jose Campana, and Roger Marti scored for Levante, which moved to a sixth place after its first victory in five matches in all competitions.

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