La Liga Results 2017: Table, Scores and Reaction After Final Week 23 Match
Malaga won for the first time in 10 La Liga matches on Monday night, as they battled to a 2-1 triumph over Las Palmas at La Rosaleda.
Las Palmas took an early lead in the contest, but the hosts fought back to move in front before the interval. It's a win that relieves any concerns about a possible relegation battle for Malaga, as they pulled 10 points clear of the drop.
Elsewhere in Week 23, Real Madrid ensured they remained top of the pile after a straightforward 2-0 win over Espanyol. Barcelona were far from convincing in their 2-1 win over lowly Leganes, though, with a last-minute Lionel Messi penalty saving the Blaugrana from another embarrassing result.
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After Malaga's win, here are the results in full from the La Liga weekend and the updated table. Additionally, here's a look back at an intriguing Monday tussle and some of the standout moments from earlier in the weekend.
| Friday, February 17 | Granada 4-1 Real Betis |
| Saturday, February 18 | Sporting Gijon 1-4 Atletico Madrid |
| Saturday, February 18 | Real Madrid 2-0 Espanyol |
| Saturday, February 18 | Deportivo la Coruna 1-0 Alaves |
| Saturday, February 18 | Sevilla 2-0 Eibar |
| Sunday, February 19 | Real Sociedad 0-1 Villarreal |
| Sunday, February 19 | Athletic Club 1-2 Valencia |
| Sunday, February 19 | Celta Vigo 3-0 Osasuna |
| Sunday, February 19 | Barcelona 2-1 Leganes |
| Monday, February 20 | Malaga 2-1 Las Palmas |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 56 | 18 | +38 | 52 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 23 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 63 | 19 | +44 | 51 |
| 3 | Sevilla | 23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 28 | +18 | 49 |
| 4 | Atletico Madrid | 23 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 43 | 19 | +24 | 45 |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 23 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 41 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 23 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 39 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 35 |
| 8 | Eibar | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 35 |
| 9 | Celta Vigo | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 33 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 23 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 31 | -1 | 32 |
| 11 | Alaves | 23 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 30 |
| 12 | Las Palmas | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 32 | 35 | -3 | 28 |
| 13 | Malaga | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 31 | 37 | -6 | 26 |
| 14 | Real Betis | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 24 |
| 15 | Valencia | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 40 | -9 | 23 |
| 16 | Deportivo La Coruna | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 35 | -9 | 19 |
| 17 | Leganes | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 39 | -23 | 18 |
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 16 |
| 19 | Granada | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 49 | -28 | 16 |
| 20 | Osasuna | 23 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 52 | -28 | 10 |
Monday Recap
The first half at La Rosaleda was a throughly entertaining one, with both teams looking to get on the front foot and score goals.
Las Palmas were the first team to draw blood in the 19th minute, and in some style, too. Mauricio Lemos, a centre-back, lined up a free-kick from 30 yards out and arrowed a magnificent curling shot towards goal past the flailing Carlos Kameni.
As noted by the OptaJose Twitter feed, the 21-year-old is developing a reputation as something of a set-piece specialist:
Malaga responded well to falling behind, though, and within eight minutes, they were back on terms through Pablo Fornals.
It was another spectacular strike, too, as the 20-year-old lofted a looping shot towards goal in the right-hand channel; Javi Varas could only watch as it sailed over his head and into the back of the net.
From there, Malaga were the side in the ascendency, and they piled on the pressure before half-time in search of a go-ahead strike. It came courtesy of Charles Dias, who couldn't miss after a superb cross from Keko on the left flank.
The second period was a much tighter affair, and the longer the match went on, the more keen Malaga seemed to shut the game down.
Their efforts were made more difficult when Jose Rodriguez was given his marching orders for a second yellow card. However, the hosts were able to cling on, with Jese coming within inches of equalising in stoppage time for Las Palmas with a rasping effort.
Weekend Recap
With a comfortable lead atop the La Liga table, Real Madrid are on track to secure their first title since 2012. The return of Gareth Bale from injury will add further momentum to the cause, too.
Having been out of action since November due to injury, Bale came off the bench to confirm Madrid's win over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, making it 2-0 after Alvaro Morata's first-half opener.
The man himself posted the following on social media after the victory, evidently delighted to be back on the field:
While Madrid's win was as routine as it comes, Barcelona nearly slipped up against a struggling Leganes side.
When Messi pounced in the fourth minute, the Blaugrana looked set for a landslide triumph. But Leganes, without a win in their last 11 matches, slowly started to work their way into the game and, in the 67th minute, levelled through Unai Lopez.
Barca toiled in search of a late winner, and just when it looked as though they were set to endure another tough evening, Neymar was felled in the box and Messi kept his cool from the spot. Per OptaJose, despite the clear gulf in quality between the two sides, it was an even affair:
Elsewhere, Kevin Gameiro was the man of the weekend, as he came off the bench for Atletico Madrid in the match with Sporting Gijon to blast in a late hat-trick.
When the Frenchman entered the fray, the match was finely poised at 1-1. But his ruthless finishing swung the fixture the way of Diego Simeone's side. Per Bleacher Report UK, it didn't take him long either:
Sevilla also picked up an important win against an in-form Eibar team, with Pablo Sarabia and Vitolo on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win. Villarreal kept their slender hopes of a top-four finish alive, too, as they snatched a stoppage-time winner against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta thanks to Samu Castillejo.
