La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 22 Results
Week 22 of the 2014-15 La Liga campaign kicked off with a bang on Saturday after Atletico Madrid defeated rivals Real 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon to halt Los Merengues' run at the summit.
Deportivo La Coruna got proceedings off to a bright start on Friday when they took a 2-0 victory over Eibar to move level on points with 10th-place Celta Vigo.
Second-place Barcelona were happy to capitalise upon Real's misery and move within one point of Carlo Ancelotti's side thanks to a 5-2 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
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Read on for an updated look at the Spanish standings, along with recap of Matchday 22's results.
| Position | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 70 | 22 | +48 | 54 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 62 | 13 | +49 | 53 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 50 |
| 4 | Valencia | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 44 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 42 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 41 |
| 7 | Malaga | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 35 |
| 8 | Eibar | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 27 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 26 |
| 10 | Celta Vigo | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 24 | -3 | 25 |
| 11 | Deportivo La Coruna | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 24 |
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 29 | -7 | 23 |
| 13 | Athletic Bilbao | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 31 | -11 | 23 |
| 14 | Getafe | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 30 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 40 | -18 | 23 |
| 16 | Almeria | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 22 |
| 17 | Elche | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 42 | -22 | 20 |
| 18 | Levante | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 38 | -21 | 19 |
| 19 | Cordoba | 22 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 18 |
| 20 | Granada | 22 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 35 | -21 | 18 |
| Date | Time | Home | Score | Away |
| Friday, Feb. 6 | 7.45 p.m. | Deportivo La Coruna | 1 - 0 | Eibar |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. | Atletico Madrid | 4 - 0 | Real Madrid |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 5 p.m. | Villarreal | 2 - 0 | Granada |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 7 p.m. | Levante | 4 - 1 | Malaga |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 9 p.m. | Real Sociedad | 1 - 1 | Celta Vigo |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 11 a.m. | Cordoba | 1 - 2 | Almeria |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 4 p.m. | Getafe | 2 - 1 | Sevilla |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 6 p.m. | Espanyol | 1 - 2 | Valencia |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 8 p.m. | Athletic Bilbao | 2 - 5 | Barcelona |
| Monday, Feb. 9 | 7:45 p.m. | Elche | 2-0 | Rayo Vallecano |
Monday Recap
For now, Elche are clear of the relegation zone, as Monday's 2-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano moved the Franjiverdes from the bottom of the table to 17th place. The guests, meanwhile, drop to 15th with the defeat.
The star of the match was Damian Suarez, who not only provided solid defense in the back but also came forward for this screaming wonder-goal in the 20th minute:
Substitute Rodrigues would add his first goal of the year in the 81st minute, securing the massively important three points for Fran Escriba's squad.
Up next, Elche travel to Estadio Municipal De Ipurua to take on an Eibar side that hasn't won since Jan. 10. Rayo Vallecano will return home to face Villarreal, who are currently three points shy of Valencia for a top-four spot.
Sunday Recap
Luis Enrique's Barcelona lie just a single point off table toppers Real Madrid after stripping a 5-2 win from Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening, showing both their attacking best and some more concerning defensive lapses.
WhoScored.com pointed out just what an irregularity it was for Barca to be so lax at the back, while Musa Okwonga of ESPN was more amicable toward their prolific threat on goal:
The increasingly efficient trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Saurez were each on target in the win. Messi netted twice while Pedro also got in on the act after Athetic's Xavier Etxeita was shown a straight red 15 minutes from time.
Earlier in the evening, Valencia fended off any late comeback attempt from Espanyol to take a 2-1 win away from home, with goals from Pablo Piatti and Dani Parejo sealing their three points.
However, David Cartlidge of beIN Sports highlighted left-back maestro Jose Luis Gaya as the key ingredient to their win, hailing his potential to become a superstar:
An 89th-minute consolation from Sergio Garcia may have started off an Espanyol resurgence, but Nuno Espirito Santo's side were able to see the hosts off and take their spoils.
Los Che were permitted to reclaim their place among the top four as a result, thanks to Sevilla's collapse at the hands of Getafe, losing 2-1 in Madrid thanks to Pedro Leon's 85th-minute winner.
Grzegorz Krychowiak initially pulled the visitors level following Alvaro Vazquez's penalty opener for the home side, but Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC said the defeat was deserved as Leon scrapped home a rebounded effort:
Getafe weren't the only relegation contenders to come away from the bottom on Sunday, though, as a Michael Macedo brace saw Almeria to a 2-1 win against Cordoba.
Having suffered back-to-back away defeats against Valencia and Espanyol, Almeria's win doesn't budge them from 16th but four points now sit between them and the bottom three.
Saturday Recap
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid team gave their push to retain the La Liga title a much-needed injection of pace on Saturday after dismantling local rivals Real 4-0 in front of a home audience.
Bringing an end to Los Blancos' winning streak, Atleti soared under clutch circumstances and were able to emerge as the tactically superior outfit, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:
Los Rojiblancos netted two either side of half-time to pull within four points of their adversaries, with Saul Niguez, Tiago, Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic all on the scoresheet.
Cristiano Ronaldo was widely criticised for a display which went down as poor just a few days after celebrating his 30th birthday, but the Portuguese remains confident of claiming silverware, per Goal.com's Carlo Garganese:
"Real Madrid are better than Atletico but we have to prove it on the field. Anyway, I think we will win the Liga title at the end of the season. Nothing worked today. It is a day to forget. Real Madrid can never lose 4-0 against any team.
We lacked enthusiasm and we were not mentally or physically fresh. There was little recovery time from Wednesday's game [against Sevilla]. The team is fine, but today we made a big mistake. These were three points that we lost. No more. Not four points.
"
It was a good day for the home teams, too, as Villarreal bounced back from defeat against Barcelona in their last outing to beat Granada 2-0.
There''s a growing notion that this Villarreal team is on the verge of something greater, escaping the mediocrity of years gone by, which OptaJose suggested may be true following their latest win:
For now, the Yellow Submarine are level on points with Valencia in fifth, while Granada's fight against the drop continues, with Levante's 4-1 win over Malaga worsening their problems.
With the odds stacked against them, Levante recorded probably their finest win of the season Saturday, trouncing Malaga in a result that left Jamie Kemp of Inside Spanish Football in some state of disbelief:
As OptaJose illustrated, it was a rare showcase of attacking strength from the Granotas, realising their potential at a key point in the campaign:
With those three points clinched, Levante move off the bottom of the table and up into 16th while Malaga are left to rue their missed opportunity in moving closer to the European places.
The Anchovies have now lost three of their last six La Liga fixtures and are six points off Villarreal, struggling to put together any vein of consistency.
Questions of consistency may also be asked of David Moyes' Real Sociedad, who conceded a late equaliser against Celta Vigo on Saturday to draw 1-1.
Imanol Agirretxe put the Anoeta hosts ahead after just eight minutes, but Nolito was on hand for the visitors to tuck away an 85th-minute opportunity, which OptaJose points out is no new disappointment for La Real:
Seeing out results has been a clear weakness for the Basque club this season and two points went wandering as they could have leapfrogged Celta into 10th.
Nolito's finish ensures Moyes' record as Sociedad boss still reads just one win in seven, while Saturday's visitors just about manage to keep their place in the top half.
Friday Recap
Eibar's descent continued on Friday when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna, leaving the Riazor with their third successive loss.
Depor started the evening in 14th but took their chances in the second half to seal a result that sees them rise within contention for a top-half finish.
Neither side was able to make the necessary incisions during the first half, and Eibar were left the happier of the two going in at the break with the score still 0-0.
However, a mistake from goalkeeper Xabi Irureta gave Lucas Perez the opportunity he needed to steal in and open the scoring after 52 minutes, with beIN Sports posting footage of the error:
Unfortunately for Eibar, the lapses in judgement wouldn't cease there, as Ivan Cavaleiro netted Depor's second 11 minutes from time thanks to Borja Ekiza's poor back-pass.
Gaizka Garitano's side remain in eighth despite their fall at the Riazor, but Deportivo La Coruna are catching up fast thanks to their second win in succession.
