La Liga Table 2015: Latest Standings Following Saturday's Week 8 Results

Real Madrid and Barcelona went first and second in La Liga on a record-breaking day for Los Blancos' forward Cristiano Ronaldo. He broke Raul's club goalscoring record during a comfortable 3-0 win over Levante. Meanwhile, Neymar hit four goals to inspire a Lionel Messi-less Barca to beat plucky Rayo Vallecano in a seven-goal thriller.

Elsewhere, Eibar were held at home by Sevilla. But the draw still moved the hosts up to sixth. Valencia brushed aside Malaga at the Mestalla.

Finally, Real Betis were thumped 3-1 at home by Espanyol. 

Here are Saturday's results from Spain's top flight:

Home	Score	Away
Real Madrid	3-0	Levante
Eibar	1-1	Sevilla
Barcelona	5-2	Rayo Vallecano
Valencia	3-0	Malaga
Real Betis	1-3	Espanyol

Here's what those results mean for the table:

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Points
1	Real Madrid	8	5	3	0	18	2	16	18
2	Barcelona	8	6	0	2	17	11	6	18
3	Villarreal	7	5	1	1	12	5	7	16
4	Celta Vigo	7	4	3	0	15	7	8	15
5	Atletico Madrid	7	4	1	2	10	4	6	13
6	Eibar	8	3	4	1	11	7	4	13
7	Deportivo La Coruna	7	3	3	1	12	7	5	12
8	Valencia	8	3	3	2	7	5	2	12
9	Espanyol	8	4	0	4	10	17	-7	12
10	Real Betis	8	3	2	3	8	12	-4	11
11	Sevilla	8	2	3	3	8	12	-4	9
12	Sporting Gijon	7	2	2	3	7	8	-1	8
13	Athletic Bilbao	7	2	1	4	8	10	-2	7
14	Getafe	7	2	1	4	6	8	-2	7
15	Rayo Vallecano	8	2	1	5	8	17	-9	7
16	Real Sociedad	7	1	3	3	6	7	-1	6
17	Malaga	8	1	3	4	3	7	-4	6
18	Levante	8	1	3	4	6	15	-9	6
19	Las Palmas	7	1	2	4	6	9	-3	5
20	Granada	7	1	1	5	5	13	-8	4

Recap

Ronaldo's historical moment for Los Merengues came on the half-hour mark against Levante. Left-back Marcelo had already given Madrid the lead before Ronaldo took his chance, as noted by Squawka:

It was appropriate for Ronaldo to set the new all-time best scoring mark in front of the Madrid faithful. The Santiago Bernabeu has been the prolific Portuguese forward's happiest hunting ground over the years.

Jese added some gloss to the scoreline as a second-half substitute. Manager Rafael Benitez's team wasn't exactly convincing, but three goals and a clean sheet are always welcome.

But Benitez still hasn't quite got the balance right. Madrid don't look particularly fluid in attack, and the pace of play is often plodding.

Barcelona's problem is just the opposite. There's still ample verve and dynamism up front, even with Messi and creator-in-chief Andres Iniesta injured. Yet, there's no hiding how shaky Luis Enrique's team appears at the back.

Rayo exposed the sudden fragility in defence several times. Vallecano took the lead via Javi Guerra before Neymar won and converted two penalties.

For the first 15 minutes of the second half, it was all Rayo. The visitors squandered a host of very promising chances.

It took two more goals from Neymar and one from Luis Suarez before Barca could feel safe. Jozabed added a second for Rayo, but the issue was already well and truly resolved.

It was resolved because Neymar and Suarez turned on the style to help mask lacklustre performances in other areas. Barca didn't boss midfield, despite their home advantage, which is a problem reflected by this stat from Stats Zone (h/t football writer Thore Haugstad):

But thanks to Neymar's individual magic, Barca avoided embarrassment. His quartet of goals have made him the most prolific attacker in La Liga so far this season, according to OptaJose:

Barca and Madrid won and currently sit first and second, respectively, in the table. But Spanish Football expert Sergi Dominguez remains unconvinced by both, ahead of the season's first Clasico:

In between Spain's big two being in action, Sevilla battled back to earn a point in Eibar. Underrated striker Kevin Gameiro again showed off his knack for clever movement and sure finishing.

The Frenchman's pace got him on the end of Vicente Iborra's cross with less than 20 minutes remaining. His strike cancelled out Borja Baston's headed opener.

A point moves Eibar to sixth and leaves Sevilla 11th.

Then Valencia swatted Malaga with three goals in a cruise-control win. Midfield schemers Andre Gomes and Daniel Parejo added to Charles' first-half own goal.

To wrap up the evening, Espanyol thumped Betis. Madrid loanee Marco Asensio was undoubtedly the star of the show.

He laid on all three goals for the visitors. The 19-year-old winger's trio of assists in a single game are something of a rarity for Espanyol in La Liga, per OptaJose:

This level of creativity is also rare from a player so young in Spain's top flight, according to MisterChip (English):

Enzo Roco, Felipe Caicedo and Victor Sanchez were the beneficiaries of Asensio's prodigious supply from the flanks. Yet, despite the young wide man's superb showing, ESPN's Dermot Corrigan remains sceptical about his chances of making the grade with Los Blancos:

Vincenzo Rennella struck a late consolation for Betis, but Pepe Mel's team was well-below par in this one.

Barca and Madrid aren't impressing, but they are still in the top spots, even though Villarreal could change that against a tough Celta outfit. Yet, the fact the top two still haven't reached peak form, has to be an ominous sign for the rest of La Liga.