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Match round-up - First Division, Day 11

Real Madrid hold on to third spot, still eight points behind leaders Barcelona, after a 3-0 victory over struggling Las Palmas in the last game on Sunday evening. Zidane’s side needed a win after their Champions League defeat at Tottenham midweek, and Casemiro headed them in front fron an Asensio corner shortly before the break. Asensio himself got the second with an impressive shot after Lizoaín punched out a long free kick, and Isco completed the scoring after connecting with Ronaldo’s cross some fifteen minutes from the end.

Villarreal are up to fifth after they beat Málaga 2-0, the result leaving the Andalusians back at the bottom of the table after Alavés won the day before. Substitute Sansone got both goals after the break, the first a header after Bacca played the ball across, and the second a shot on the run after Fornals put him through. The locals could have won by a bigger margin though had Bakambu not had three goals ruled out (albeit correctly) for offside.

Real Sociedad stay three points below Villarreal in seventh place after a 3-1 win over neighbours Eibar. Kike missed an early chance for the away team, but Willian José headed in an Odriozola cross to open the scoring in the twelfth minute, and Janujaz scrambled in the second a few minutes later after his first effort was blocked. With the second half just a minute old Oyarzabal ran on to Illarramendi’s pass to make it three, and although Joan Jordán replied for the visitors, the goal came too late to prevent a defeat which leaves his side just two points above the drop zone.

Celta end the weekend in mid-table after they won 3-1 against Athletic Bilbao, who themselves are now down in fifteenth spot. The Galicians went three up with only a quarter of the game gone, Sergi Gómez looping a header past Kepa, and Iago Aspas adding two more from Fontàs and Wass assists. Raúl García put the visitors back in the game with a volley shortly before the interval, but Rubén Blanco kept out Williams and Aduríz after the break to make sure of the victory.

Girona built on their victory against Real Madrid last week, a 1-2 win at Levante in the mid-day kick-off taking them above their hosts and up to tenth spot. Stuani and Granell came close for the Catalans before the break, and with just under an hour gone Borja García fired the opener in off the crossbar. Stuani got the second soon afterwards after Maffeo and Pere Pons combined to set him up, and new signing Enes Ünal headed an injury time consolation for the locals. (05.11.17)

Barcelona kept up the momentum on Saturday, a 2-1 victory over Sevilla maintaining their four point lead at the top of the table. Paco Alcácer took advantage of a rare start to score both goals, the first midway through the first half after Escudero failed to cut out a long pass from Luis Suárez. Pizarro headed the equaliser from a Banega corner soon after the restart, but Piqué hit the bar two minutes later, and Alcácer got on the end of Rakitic’s cross to poke home the winner two minutes after that.

Earlier in the day though second placed Valencia put the pressure on the Catalans with a 3-0 victory over Leganés, Dani Parejo putting them in front on the quarter hour mark with a free kick under the defensive wall. Szymanowski and Beauvue missed chances for the visitors before the break, but Guedes fired a shot against the post after the interval, and Rodrigo headed a second from Pereira’s cross before Santi Mina wrapped things up from the penalty spot.

Atlético Madrid are now third after they beat Deportivo 0-1, although it was not until injury time that Thomas got the winner from a set-piece free kick. Before that Bakkali missed a couple of early chances, and Griezmann and Gaitán tested Pantilimon in the second half, but it looked like Simeone’s side were heading for their sixth draw in seven games before Thomas saved the day for the second time this week.

Elsewhere Alavés are off the bottom of the table after a 1-0 victory over Espanyol, their first win at home all season. Christian Santos got the only goal with less than a minute gone, and although the Catalans played over half the game with ten men after Hermoso was sent off for a second bookable offence, it took some important saves by Pacheco after the break to ensure the three points. (04.11.17)

Betis came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Getafe in the Friday night game. A Bergara header and a strike from Portillo put the visitors two up at the break. However Quique Setién brought on Sanabria and Boudebouz on the hour mark, and the two substitutes both scored to keep the Andalusians four points above their opponents in eighth spot. (03.11.17)