La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 20 Results
Barcelona kept up the pressure on league leaders and bitter rivals Real Madrid after their 6-0 destruction of Elche.
Los Blancos also grabbed a vital win away from home against Cordoba but with huge cost, as Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the latter stages of the match for violent conduct.
The superstar will now be banned for three matches, giving Barca the smell of blood in their nostrils if the Galacticos slip up without their main man.
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League champions Atletico also made easy work of their opponent, Rayo Vallecano, defeating them at the Calderon Stadium by 3-1.
Here are the latest standings after Monday's play and the up-to-date results for Matchday 20:
| 1 | Real Madrid | 19 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 64 | 16 | 48 | 48 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 20 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 54 | 9 | 45 | 47 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 20 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 19 | 21 | 44 |
| 4 | Valencia | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 38 | 18 | 20 | 41 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 39 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 38 |
| 7 | Malaga | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 32 |
| 8 | Eibar | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 26 | -2 | 27 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 29 | -4 | 26 |
| 10 | Rayo Vallecano | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 36 | -15 | 23 |
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 20 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 24 | -4 | 22 |
| 12 | Celta Vigo | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 21 |
| 13 | Athletic Bilbao | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 26 | -10 | 20 |
| 14 | Getafe | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 20 |
| 15 | Cordoba | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 30 | -14 | 18 |
| 16 | Deportivo La Coruna | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 33 | -17 | 18 |
| 17 | Elche | 20 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 41 | -23 | 17 |
| 18 | Almeria | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 16 |
| 19 | Levante | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 35 | -22 | 16 |
| 20 | Granada | 20 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 15 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 3 p.m. | Cordoba | Real Madrid | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 5 p.m. | Elche | Barcelona | 0-6 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 7 p.m. | Atletico Madrid | Rayo Vallecano | 3-1 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 9 p.m. | Villarreal | Levante | 1-0 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 9 p.m. | Real Sociedad | Eibar | 1-0 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 11 a.m. | Deportivo La Coruna | Granada | 2-2 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 4 p.m. | Athletic Bilbao | Malaga | 1-1 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 6 p.m. | Espanyol | Almeria | 3-0 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 8 p.m. | Valencia | Sevilla | 3-1 |
| Monday, Jan. 26 | 7:45 p.m. | Getafe | Celta Vigo | 2-1 |
Monday Recap
In the solitary Monday game of Matchday 20, Getafe finally put to bed their nine-match winless run after a very late goal sealed the points against visiting Celta Vigo.
However, the defeat consigned the Celts to their own unwanted record of no victories in 10 La Liga matches, per ESPNFC, leaving the side in 12th place.
Charles had opened the scoring for Celta on 15 minutes, but his effort was cancelled out just four minutes later as Alvaro Vazquez struck for the metropolitan Madrid side.
The first half ended one goal a piece, and it was the home side who pushed on for the winner in the second period, earning itself a penalty.
But midfielder Diego Castro lost his nerve and struck the crossbar—with the game seemingly panning out into a draw.
However, it was left to Pablo Sarabia to save the day for Getafe, with the No. 10 grabbing the winner for his team with just five minutes of normal time remaining.
The BBC's Andy West responded with shock and surprise at Sarabia's effort and clearly believed Celta would spoil the day:
Getafe were the better team on the night, and the statistics back up their dominance.
The home side had 19 shots compared to the visitor's nine, per ESPNFC, and a hard night's work was well rewarded in the end.
Sunday Recap
In Sunday's big match, Valencia reigned supreme in their battle for fourth spot as they defeated Sevilla 3-1.
Two efforts from Daniel Parejo and a second-half goal from Javi Fuego were enough for Nuno's side, with Valencia grabbing a solitary reply from Carlos Bacca's penalty.
The game had started positively for Sevilla with Spain's oldest club holding their own against Los Che.
But it was the home team that struck first through a Parejo spot-kick, and they never looked back. However, the away team did have a golden chance to draw the match level through a second penalty, but Bacca saw his second effort saved by Diego Alves.
Sevilla stayed in touch with the hosts until the second half, but Nuno's men made their Mestalla advantage pay dividends.
Spanish football writer David Cartlidge highlighted Fuego's contribution during the tie, saying the player very rarely gives his side a substandard performance:
In the day's other matches, Espanyol were the big winners of Matchday 20 after they deconstructed Almeria, winning their match by 3-0.
Striker Christian Stuani put the tie almost beyond doubt before half-time after his two goals separated the teams.
The 28-year-old Uruguayan grabbed his eighth goal in 19 La Liga matches, per WhoScored.com, as his season continues to go from strength to strength.
And it was left to Ecuadorian substitute Felipe Caicedo to wrap up the points on 74 minutes as the attacker ended the contest with the home team's third strike.
Deportivo La Coruna and Athletic Bilbao spurned great chances to improve their recently poor form as they both drew at home with Granada and Malaga.
Depor came from behind after their opponents grabbed a sixth-minute lead—with two quick goals from Jose Rodriguez and Lucas Perez—but the visitors stole a point with a late equaliser from Robert Ibanez.
Bilbao took the lead in their match against a strong Malaga outfit on 70 minutes after a goal from defender Mikel San Jose, but their hopes were dashed just eight minutes later as Javi Guerra grabbed a share of the spoils for his team.
The match broke Athletic Club's four-game losing streak, but the side still lies too close for comfort to the relegation zone.
Saturday Recap
The night's proceedings were dominated by one man as Cristiano Ronaldo collapsed to a moment of madness and received a red card for striking an opponent, against Cordoba.
The Portugal captain was attempting to attack the ball close to his opponent's goal when he uncharacteristically struck out, leaving the referee with little choice but to eject him from the match.
Ronaldo seemed visibly shocked at the event and was consoled by Gareth Bale as he left the pitch.
And it was left to Bale to be the hero of the hour as the world-record transfer king struck a last-minute penalty to keep Madrid top of the charts.
The royal club of the Spanish capital stole the result 2-1 after Cordoba had ample opportunity to win the match themselves.
Former Manchester United winger Bebe was in inspired form for his team and he caused the Madrid defence consistent problems.
The Portuguese player grabbed an unlikely second minute penalty after his shot was judged to have hit Sergio Ramos's arm, giving Cordoba a spot-kick and subsequent lead through Nabil Ghilas.
But Madrid soon equalised through Karim Benzema—but it was the home team who continued to create chances.
However, late in the game the La Liga kingpins took control and went hunting in packs for the winner.
It was at this point Ronaldo's shock red card occurred, with the hit man leaving the game on 82 minutes.
Bale then sealed the tie with a penalty with just seconds remaining in normal time, ensuring Barcelona do not leapfrog Madrid to the top position in the league.
Barca made short work of their opponents as they travelled to a poor Elche and buried them 6-0.
Double strikes from Lionel Messi and Neymar set the Camp Nou team on their way, with additional efforts from Gerard Pique and Pedro completing the devastating scoreline.
The win keeps Barca in touch with Madrid with the Catalans still just a point off the lead.
Champions Atletico Madrid kept their campaign alive after a comfortable win at the Calderon, beating Ray Vallecano by 3-1.
Antoine Griezmann was in sparkling form on Saturday and grabbed his ninth and tenth goals of his season in La Liga, to ease Diego Simeone's side to the win.
Journalist Rafael Hernandez singled out Griezmann for special praise and highlighted his impact at Atleti this term since his arrival:
In the nights other action, Villarreal and Real Sociedad made it a hugely satisfactory night's work as they won their fixtures each by 1-0.
The sides overcame Levante and Eibar to claim the wins and grab three vital points to add to their league totals.
