The two matches that were postponed due to the Spanish cup final were played on Wednesday night, Barcelona kicking things off with a 5-1 victory over Villarreal which keeps them on track to become the first Liga side ever to finish the league season unbeaten. Coutinho and Paulinho put Valverde’s team two up early on, and Messi combined with Iniesta for the third just before the break. Sansone replied for the visitors after the restart, but Dembélé netted twice in the last five minutes or so to complete the scoring. Villarreal stay in sixth spot, now just three points above Sevilla, who beat a depleted Real Madrid 3-2 later in the evening. Strikes by Ben Yedder and Layún gave the Andalusians a two goal lead at the break, and after the interval Sergio Ramos fired a penalty against the crossbar before putting through his own net with ten minutes to go. Borja Mayoral headed one back though, and Ramos converted a second penalty in injury time, but Caparrós’s side held on for a win which takes them back to seventh, two points above Getafe. The result though takes out all other contenders for the last Europa League spot, and with Betis already qualified for the competition and Villarreal almost there, it will be between those two for that final place. (09.05.18)