La Liga Results 2016: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 10 Matches

Real Madrid are two points clear at the top of La Liga after Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick helped beat Alaves 4-1 on Saturday. Yet the division's main contenders answered Ronaldo's return to form.

Reigning champions Barcelona answered the challenge posed by their old enemy by beating bottom-of-the-table Granada by just a single goal at the Camp Nou. The goal proved enough to put Barca second, ahead of Atletico Madrid who sit third, despite putting four past Malaga at the Vicente Calderon.

Here are the scores from Saturday's matches:

Home	Score	Away
Sporting Gijon	1-1	Sevilla
Alaves	1-4	Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid	4-2	Malaga
Barcelona	1-0	Granada

Here's what those results mean for the table:

Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Real Madrid	10	7	3	0	18	24
2	Barcelona	10	7	1	2	18	22
3	Atletico Madrid	10	6	3	1	19	21
4	Sevilla	10	6	3	1	5	21
5	Villarreal	9	5	4	0	11	19
6	Real Sociedad	10	5	1	4	4	16
7	Athletic Bilbao	9	5	0	4	2	15
8	Celta Vigo	9	4	1	4	-4	13
9	Las Palmas	9	3	3	3	2	12
10	Eibar	9	3	3	3	1	12
11	Malaga	10	3	3	4	0	12
12	Real Betis	9	3	2	4	-8	11
13	Alaves	10	2	4	4	-5	10
14	Leganes	10	3	1	6	-10	10
15	Valencia	9	3	0	6	-5	9
16	Sporting Gijon	10	2	3	5	-11	9
17	Espanyol	9	1	5	3	-5	8
18	Deportivo La Coruna	9	2	2	5	-8	8
19	Osasuna	9	1	3	5	-8	6
20	Granada	10	0	3	7	-16	3

Madrid Teams Holding Sway in the Title Race

Two goals apiece for Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and striker Kevin Gameiro helped Atleti see off a game Malaga squad. Belgian winger Carrasco's importance to Madrid's attack was underlined by these numbers from Squawka:

Carrasco's perceptive movement dovetailed superbly with Gameiro's direct pace. The Frenchman is starting to look very comfortable in his new team after arriving from Sevilla during the summer.

In fact, like Carrasco, Gameiro is becoming increasingly influential in the final third, according to WhoScored.com:

Malaga didn't buckle easily, despite Atletico's potency up top. In fact, the visitors breached a normally miserly defence twice, with goals coming from Sandro Ramirez and Ignacio Camacho.

It's not often Atleti are this generous at home:

Manager Diego Simeone's team is usually noted for its resilience defensively. Now, strength at the back is being more than complemented by greater options up front.

The improved arsenal at Simeone's disposal is best summed up by this statistic from OptaJose:

With Carrasco and Gameiro joining Fernando Torres and talisman Antoine Griezmann, Atleti have more attacking muscle than in recent seasons. It's something likely to take this tough and disciplined squad far this season.

In the other half of Madrid, Real will still only go as far as their own talented attackers will take them. Specifically, as far as Ronaldo's goals can carry them.

He's been struggling recently, but the Portuguese looked every bit back to his best at Mendizorrotza. Ronaldo scored from the spot in the first half before adding two more goals after the break. Not even seeing a penalty saved could dampen the hat-trick hero's day.

In fact, no player can match Ronaldo's run of getting goals in threes:

Substitute Alvaro Morata also got on the sheet for Los Blancos, who have reached top spot without really hitting top gear, an ominous sign for the rest of the league.

Yet one team unlikely to be worried by Real's form is bitter rivals Barcelona. The champions were far from their best against Granada but still managed to eek out the win thanks to Rafinha Alcantara's overhead kick early in the second half.

Brazilian Rafinha has been ruthless in front of goal this season:

Sadly for Barca, the members of their marquee forward line couldn't match Rafinha's proficiency. Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi all missed chances each would usually be sure to convert.

The day began with Sevilla spurning a chance to land a telling blow in the title scrap when they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Sporting Gijon. Luciano Vietto scored inside the opening five minutes for the club that's won the last three UEFA Europa League trophies in a row.

However, manager Jorge Sampaoli's men were undone after 20 minutes when midfield schemer Moi Gomez pounced for Gijon.

Things turned against Sevilla when their own playmaker, Samir Nasri, was subbed at the break following an injury. The Manchester City loanee has revived his career on Sampaoli's watch, and Sevilla missed his ingenuity and vision in the second half.

MIGUEL RIOPA/Getty Images

Sevilla suffered a slip they can ill afford if they're going to maintain a challenge at the top. Still, Spain's top three again appear too loaded for the rest, even if Real and Barca need more consistency from their star names.