Eibar moved back to the top half of the table after a 3-0 win over Espanyol in the Monday night game. Visiting coach Rubi rested several key players for the upcoming cup tie, but the move backfired when Sergi Enrich opened the scoring midway through the first half. And after the restart De Blasis and Charles added two more to take the Basque side a point above their opponents in the rankings. (21.01.19)
Barcelona keep up their five point gap at the top after a 3-1 victory over Leganés on Sunday evening. With Messi on the bench, Dembélé opened the scoring after combining with Jordi Alba midway through the first half. New signing Braithwaite levelled it for the visitors though after the restart, but Messi came on to assist Luis Suárez and then score the third himself in time added on. Betis are back up to seventh after they beat Girona 3-2 in the mid-day game, Canales getting a late winner for the locals from the penalty spot. Earlier though, first half strikes by Aleix García and Doumbia had overturned Tello’s early free kick before Loren made it all square again after the restart.
This season though many teams are bunched together in mid-table, and only six points separate eighth placed Real Sociedad from eighteenth placed Rayo Vallecano after the two sides drew 2-2 in the Vallecas stadium. Comesaña and Embarba put the Madrid side two up with only half an hour gone, but Héctor Moreno headed one back before the interval, and Willian José saved a point for the visitors with eight minutes to go. Levante are now tenth after they won 2-0 against Valladolid, Coke and Roger getting the goals at the end of the first and second halves. And Villarreal stay down in next to bottom spot after they were held to a 1-1 draw by an improving Athletic Bilbao, Jaume Costa putting through his own net with a quarter of an hour or so on the clock, and Ekambi scoring the equaliser with twenty minutes to go. (20.01.19)
Atlético Madrid kept up the pressure on leaders Barcelona, a 0-3 victory at bottom club Huesca on Saturday evening taking them to within two points of the Catalans pending their game on Sunday. The visitors had some nervous moments though on a foggy night before Lucas Hernández turned in Koke’s cross on the half hour mark, but Arias and Koke scored two more after the restart for what was a comfortable win in the end. The two teams immediately below Atleti met earlier in the afternoon, Real Madrid beating Sevilla 2-0 to move ahead of the Andalusians in the table. Modric and Ceballos both hit the woodwork before Casemiro finally beat Vaclik with a long shot with twelve minutes or so to go, and Modric made sure of the three points with the game already in injury time. Further down the table Valencia won 1-2 at Celta to move safely up to mid-table and leave the Galicians just above the drop zone. Araujo headed the locals in front shortly before the interval, but second half strikes by Ferrán and Rodrigo gave the Ches a much needed win. (19.01.19)
Getafe are fighting for the European spots this season, and they moved up to within a point of fifth placed Alavés after beating the Vitoria based side 4-0 on Friday evening. Mata started things off from the penalty spot with half an hour gone, and Jorge Molina added two in the second half before Mata wrapped things up near the end. (18.01.19)