La Liga Results 2018: Table, Scores and Reaction After Final Week 31 Match

Athletic Bilbao grabbed a deserved 3-1 win over Villarreal in the final match of Week 31 in the 2017-18 La Liga season on Monday.

Inigo Cordoba and Inaki Williams gave the Basques a two-goal advantage, and while Carlos Bacca added some excitement by pulling his team within one, a late Iker Muniain strike secured the win. Villarreal ended with 10 players, as Alvaro Gonzalez was sent off.

Read on for a recap of the match and key highlights of the weekend.

La Liga Standings (Team, Played, Goal Difference, Points)

1. Barcelona, 31, 63, 79

2. Atletico Madrid, 31, 36, 68

3. Valencia, 31, 28, 65

4. Real Madrid, 31, 43, 64

5. Real Betis, 31, -1, 49

6. Villarreal, 31, 4, 47

7. Sevilla, 31, -11, 46

8. Girona, 31, -4, 44

9. Celta Vigo 31, 7, 43

10. Eibar, 31, -9, 40

11. Getafe, 31, 5, 39

12. Athletic, 31, -2, 39

13. Real Sociedad, 31, 4, 37

14. Espanyol, 31, -12, 36

15. Leganes, 31, -13, 36

16. Alaves, 31, -17, 35

17. Levante, 31, -17, 31

18. Deportivo La Coruna, 31, -34, 23

19. Las Palmas, 31, -41, 21

20. Malaga, 31, -29, 17

Recap

As noted by AS English's Robbie Dunne, a special guest took in Monday's match, and given the struggles of Athletic this season, Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery may well be a candidate to replace Jose Angel Ziganda this summer:

Cordoba gave the Basques an early lead with a clever volley, punishing a poorly organised counter-attack.

Bilbao continued to dominate and should have scored more than once in the first half, but several key misses from Williams held them back.

The pattern continued after the break and had some fans complaining, but when he did finally come through, those same fans rejoiced:

But the Yellow Submarine weren't done yet, and with just over 20 minutes to play, Bacca cut the lead to one. The goal was a little controversial, as the Colombian appeared to foul Unai Nunez to steal the ball.

Muniain bagged a late goal to secure the deserved win, however, striking a blow to Villarreal's European dreams. For Muniain, it was a wonderful personal moment, as he celebrated his return to the pitch in style. The Spaniard hadn't played since September due to injury.

Barcelona were the big winners of the weekend, as the Catalans cruised to a 3-1 win over Leganes and their closest rivals for the title dropped points. Atletico Madrid played out a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann scoring.

Those two results pushed Barcelona's advantage at the top of the standings to double digits, while Valencia moved into third place with a narrow 1-0 win over Espanyol. Rodrigo Moreno scored the only goal in that match.

For Barcelona, all goals came courtesy of Lionel Messi, who served up another vintage performance.