La Liga Table 2017: Sunday's Week 23 Results and Updated Standings

Barcelona kept the pressure on leaders Real Madrid in La Liga's title race after scrapping to a 2-1 win over struggling Leganes at the Camp Nou on Sunday. Lionel Messi scored twice, including from the penalty spot a minute from time, to help unconvincing Barca close the gap at the top to a point.

Unai Lopez scored in the second half to make a Leganes side, which is playing its debut season in Spain's top flight, dream of earning a precious point as well as apparently dealing a potentially fatal blow to Barca's title challenge.

Barca now trail Los Blancos by just a point after moving back above Sevilla into second, although the Blaugrana have played two games less than Real.

The day also saw Villarreal score three big points in the race for European qualification after winning in Real Sociedad. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao's hopes of playing in Europe next season were dented when Valencia eased their own relegation worries with a 2-0 win at the Mestalla.

Here are the full results from Sunday:

Home	Score	Away
Real Sociedad	0-1	Villarreal
Valencia	2-0	Athletic Bilbao
Celta Vigo	3-0	Osasuna
Barcelona	2-1	Leganes

Here's what those results mean for the table:

Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Real Madrid	21	16	4	1	38	52
2	Barcelona	23	15	6	2	44	51
3	Sevilla	23	15	4	4	18	49
4	Atletico Madrid	23	13	6	4	24	45
5	Real Sociedad	23	13	2	8	4	41
6	Villarreal	23	10	9	4	15	39
7	Eibar	23	10	5	8	5	35
8	Athletic Bilbao	23	10	5	8	0	35
9	Celta Vigo	22	10	3	9	0	33
10	Espanyol	23	8	8	7	-1	32
11	Alaves	23	7	9	7	-6	30
12	Las Palmas	22	7	7	8	-2	28
13	Real Betis	22	6	6	10	-13	24
14	Malaga	22	5	8	9	-7	23
15	Valencia	22	6	5	11	-9	23
16	Deportivo La Coruna	22	4	7	11	-9	19
17	Leganes	23	4	6	13	-23	18
18	Sporting Gijon	23	4	4	15	-22	16
19	Granada	23	3	7	13	-28	16
20	Osasuna	23	1	7	15	-28	10

Recap

Still smarting from a 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, Barca made a lightning-fast start against Leganes. The home side went ahead in less than four minutes when Luis Suarez teed up fellow striker Lionel Messi to score.

Messi's goal marked a landmark contribution in front of home fans for the Argentinian, according to Sky Sports Statto:

The same source detailed how provider Suarez has become prolific at supplying as well as scoring goals:

Messi's goal was supposed to be the cue for a scoring spree, but instead the hosts had goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank for maintaining their slender advantage. The German stopper made a host of smart saves, routinely thwarting former Liverpool striker Nabil El Zhar.

A suavely crafted move between Suarez and Messi gave the latter a chance to double his tally, but Barca generally laboured in the final third. Their sluggishness was punished when Lopez's side-footed shot wrong-footed Ter Stegen and prompted a chorus of boos from the disgruntled Nou Camp faithful.

Lopez's goal also made history for Leganes:

Speaking of history, Andres Iniesta made some when Barca manager Luis Enrique introduced the 32-year-old pass-master off the bench to try and revive his team's fortunes, per OptaJose:

Barca seemed destined to fall out of touch with Los Blancos until Leganes skipper Martin Mantovani felled Neymar in the box. Messi stepped up and scored, but Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse noticed some cause for concern regarding the No. 10's demeanour:

It took a 94th-minute goal for Villarreal to beat Sociedad at Anoeta. Substitute Samu Castillejo swept home a precise shot into the bottom right corner to keep the Yellow Submarine's faint hopes of sealing a top-four finish alive.

Villarreal are six points shy of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid but have the versatility in their squad to make up the difference. For one thing, they showcased excellent defensive chops against a Sociedad side brimming with pace and flair up top.

Former Arsenal man Carlos Vela is always a threat, but he couldn't get behind a disciplined Villarreal back line. The visitors also posed plenty of menace of their own thanks to a bold 4-4-2 formation featuring talented duo Cedric Bakambu and Adrian Lopez up front.

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Villarreal's victory was made sweeter by seeing Bilbao, another rival for the European places, beaten in Valencia. Los Che got goals from former Manchester United winger Nani and Juventus loanee Simone Zaza.

The pair's pace, power and trickery caused Bilbao's defence a ton of problems, but the real key to Valencia's attacking game was the cultured distribution of midfield playmaker Dani Parejo.

He conducted things with vision, class and efficiency, per OptaJose:

Parejo's quality and composure in possession not only aided Valencia's forward raids. His ability to keep the ball also boosted Valencia's stubborn defensive action.

As Andrew Gaffney of Yahoo Sport UK noted, Los Che have recently developed a miserly streak at the back:

Valencia's stubbornness in defence is well-timed since it's helped the club move seven points clear of the drop zone.

Bilbao are still eighth even after the defeat, although Celta Vigo closed the gap one place below by hammering bottom side Osasuna in Balaidos. Goals from Pione Sisto and Sanchez Ruiz Jozabed staked Celta into a commanding lead.

Vigo padded the score when shrewd forward Iago Aspas also found the net a minute from time. Jozabed's astute pass gave Aspas space to shoot—space the former Liverpool man didn't waste.

Manager Eduardo Berizzo's Celta side has the potency in attacking areas to have a major say in who ultimately finishes in the European spots.

Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Yet the issues at the top remain even tougher to call. Barca may be left with too much work to do, especially if Los Merengues win their games in hand.

Even so, the reigning champions are still just about doing their utmost to keep the pressure on Real.