La Liga Results 2017 Week 23: Final Scores and Updated Table After Saturday
It was a fruitful venture for both Madrid powerhouses on Saturday as Atletico emerged 4-1 victors at Sporting Gijon before bitter rivals Real restored a four-point lead at the summit after beating Espanyol 2-0.
Yannick Carrasco opened the scoring for Atleti before Sergio Alvarez levelled for Sporting just minutes later, but a five-minute hat-trick from substitute Kevin Gameiro sealed three points for Los Rojiblancos late on at El Molinon.
Alvaro Morata set Real on their way to victory over Espanyol in his first La Liga start of 2017 before Gareth Bale scored on his return from injury to seal a 2-0 result after having sat on the sidelines for almost three months.
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Sevilla temporarily moved up to second in the table and a point above Barcelona after they defeated Eibar 2-0 in Saturday's late fixture, while Alaves emerged as victors at Deportivo La Coruna by the same scoreline.
Read on for a breakdown of Saturday's scores and results from the Spanish top flight, complete with a look at La Liga's latest standings.
| Sporting Gijon | 1-4 | Atletico Madrid |
| Real Madrid | 2-0 | Espanyol |
| Deportivo La Coruna | 0-1 | Alaves |
| Sevilla | 2-0 | Eibar |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 56 | 18 | +38 | 52 |
| 2 | Sevilla | 23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 28 | +18 | 49 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 61 | 18 | +43 | 48 |
| 4 | Atletico Madrid | 23 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 43 | 19 | +24 | 45 |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 41 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 29 | 15 | +14 | 36 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 35 |
| 8 | Eibar | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 35 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 23 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 31 | -1 | 32 |
| 10 | Celta Vigo | 21 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 36 | -3 | 30 |
| 11 | Alaves | 23 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 30 |
| 12 | Las Palmas | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 33 | -2 | 28 |
| 13 | Real Betis | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 24 |
| 14 | Malaga | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 36 | -7 | 23 |
| 15 | Valencia | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 29 | 40 | -11 | 20 |
| 16 | Deportivo La Coruna | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 35 | -9 | 19 |
| 17 | Leganes | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 37 | -22 | 18 |
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 16 |
| 19 | Granada | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 49 | -28 | 16 |
| 20 | Osasuna | 22 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 24 | 49 | -25 | 10 |
Recap
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone reaped the benefits of his own tactical nuances on Saturday as his side moved from the brink of disappointment to a comfortable win, thanks to the late heroics from super-sub Gameiro.
With the score level at one goal apiece on 81 minutes, the France international converted three times in quick succession and seal a commanding win. And despite some early debate, Eurosport UK cited statistician MisterChip in detailing Gameiro's as the fastest hat-trick in La Liga history:
The two teams went in scoreless at the break before Belgian star Carrasco powered his team into the lead with a drive through the middle and Alvarez cancelled out his effort following an acute shot from just inside the visitors' box.
Gameiro was made to wait to make his impact after coming on in the 62nd minute as Fernando Torres and Angel Correa made way, although Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse hinted at the Frenchman's stake to take a starting spot:
Los Rojiblancos temporarily moved within a point of Sevilla following their third successive league win, although Real still remain a distant table rival with a gap of seven points separating the two teams.
Manager Zinedine Zidane was rewarded for showing faith in Morata 33 minutes into Saturday's duel against Espanyol when the striker improved his prolific La Liga record by heading home a superb Isco cross:
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to extend his recent hot streak of scoring form in the league for Los Blancos, but the Spanish titans were delighted to welcome Bale back from injury, via Real Madrid TV presenter Phil Kitromilides:
Bale brought a touch of class to the melee for the final 20 minutes and managed to get on the scoresheet in the 83rd minute, thanks to a wonderfully threaded through ball from puppeteer Isco.
Zidane will undoubtedly find some comfort in managing his side to a second consecutive clean sheet at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Espanyol have suffered back-to-back league losses for the first time this term.
Later on Saturday, Sevilla put an end to Eibar's recent upsurge in scoring form and held their visitors to a 1-0 defeat on home turf, going three games unbeaten in La Liga to move within three points of leaders Real.
Eibar presented a serious threat coming to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but Pablo Sarrabia volleyed in a wonderfully worked breakthrough on 30 minutes as Sevilla's stingy defensive record rolled onward:
Second-half substitute Vitolo eased any late concerns for the home side when Stevan Jovetic's hold-up play teed the Spaniard up for a smart second in injury time.
That win came after Alaves collected their second win in three matches, with Manu Garcia's 68th-minute penalty proving to be the difference between the two sides .
Despite Depor dominating possession and shots on goal for large portions of the match, manager Gaizka Garitano's side slumped to a third successive league defeat and leaving the side just three points above the relegation zone.
