La Liga Table 2015: Sunday's Week 15 Results and Updated Standings
Real Madrid remain five points off La Liga's summit after slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Villarreal on Sunday evening, missing their chance to climb back within reach of the top two.
That result came after Atletico Madrid drew level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona, hitting back from a goal down to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at home.
The 10 men of Valencia salvaged a point at Eibar, as newly appointed manager Gary Neville was spared some blushes on a fiery La Liga debut, where both teams finished with a red card to their name.
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We bring you all the recap and reaction from the Week 15 results on Sunday, when it was La Liga's heavyweights who were at the centre of a significant shift among the division's top spots.
| Rayo Vallecano | 1-2 | Malaga |
| Eibar | 1-1 | Valencia |
| Atletico Madrid | 2-1 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Villarreal | 1-0 | Real Madrid |
| 1 | Barcelona | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 15 | +21 | 35 |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 35 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 30 |
| 4 | Celta Vigo | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 28 |
| 5 | Villarreal | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 27 |
| 6 | Deportivo La Coruna | 15 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 23 |
| 7 | Sevilla | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 22 |
| 8 | Eibar | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 21 |
| 9 | Athletic Club | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 21 |
| 10 | Valencia | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 21 |
| 11 | Real Betis | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 19 |
| 12 | Espanyol | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 26 | -11 | 17 |
| 13 | Real Sociedad | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 16 |
| 14 | Getafe | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 24 | -8 | 15 |
| 15 | Sporting Gijon | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 15 |
| 16 | Malaga | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 14 |
| 17 | Rayo Vallecano | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 27 | -11 | 14 |
| 18 | Granada | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 14 |
| 19 | Las Palmas | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 13 |
| 20 | Levante | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 11 |
Los Merengues Draw a Blank
After seeing Barcelona held to a draw against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, one might have expected a tenacious display from Real Madrid at Villarreal—one full of vigour and a thirst to capitalise on their rivals' mistakes.
But El Madrigal instead bore witness to a Real Madrid performance that, while not without its show of energy, was lacking in any tactile awareness or comfort on the ball. Roberto Soldado ended his barren scoring run with an eighth-minute strike, per Squawka, that would end up separating the two:
Luka Modric gave the ball up too close to his own goal, and Cedric Bakambu gladly fed Soldado to slot home from short range at the very beginning of an exhilarating first-half outing from the hosts.
The Yellow Submarine were particularly impressive in the opening 45 minutes, and OptaJose illustrated Real's failure to manage even a single shot on target in the first half as a landmark they'd rather not have reached this season:
It was a tale of two halves, though, as Los Blancos showed a lot more of that aforementioned vigour in the second period, but Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the post on the hour mark was as close as they came to equalising.
Marcelino Garcia Toral's men prevailed thanks to Soldado's score, and the pressure heaped upon Real Madrid counterpart Rafa Benitez continues to rise, with his men suffering their third loss in five league games.
In-Form Atletico Flying High
Antoine Griezmann fired Atletico Madrid to a 2-1 win over Athletic on Sunday, despite the fact Los Rojiblancos looked languid and far from their fighting best for much of the display.
Aymeric Laporte nudged Los Leones in front from a corner, before Saul Niguez returned the favour on the stroke of half-time, leaving Griezmann's 67th-minute stunner to salvage their storming run, per Bet365:
Atletico now sit level on points with Barca at the top of the table, but the Blaugrana's far superior scoring record puts them in front, although Diego Simeone's side have conceded just seven league goals this term.
According to WhoScored.com, Athletic took hold of the shooting chances and possession in Madrid, but David Cartlidge of beIN Sports attested to Griezmann's match-winning quality:
Atletico are now nine La Liga games without defeat and have won their last five on the trot, making them not only one of Spain's top teams, but indeed one of the in-form teams of the European circuit.
Simeone will seek more confident displays than this moving forward, but the old saying insists that the mark of a great team is one that can play badly and still win games; Atleti demonstrated that execution to a tee.
Neville Scrapes Point in La Liga Debut
Valencia were made to scratch and claw their way to a point at Eibar on Sunday after striking late to share the spoils despite being reduced to 10 men and failing to register even a single shot on target.
It was hosts Eibar who played the superior football in the opening half and got just reward on the stroke of half-time, when Sergi Enrich stole in front of Valencia's defence to tap in an Ander Capa cross. Real Madrid TV presenter Phil Kitromilides pointed out the David-versus-Goliath storyline:
It looked as though Los Che would be down and out after Lucas Orban was shown a harsh second yellow, but justice appeared to prevail when Valencia No. 1 Jaume saved the resulting spot-kick.
Valencia equalised thanks to a David Junca own goal, but BBC Sport illustrated their fortune considering Neville's visitors failed to hit the target in 90 minutes:
That 85th-minute strike wasn't the end of the drama, though, as Ivan Ramis was shown a red just prior to the full-time whistle, and Neville's great escape was complete in what was a very difficult Spanish opener.
The Englishman can look forward to an easier outing at home to Getafe next Saturday, with Valencia now eighth in the standings and hoping to make their move back into the upper crust.
Malaga Best Rayo in Relegation Rumble
Rayo Vallecano looked to be on track for what could have been a season-defining win over Malaga after scoring just six minutes into Sunday's clash, but the Anchovies came back to claim all three points in Madrid.
Javi Guerra provided the early opener against a team that had failed to score in their seven away fixtures leading up to Sunday's encounter, but that drought finally came to an end, per Spanish football writer Sergi Dominguez:
Winger Juan Carlos set up striker Charles for the equaliser in the 59th minute, and the Anchovies were on course to take points from back-to-back away league fixtures for the first time this term.
However, not content with a share of the spoils, Carlos played the role of puppeteer once again to tee up Duje Cop for the winner, leaving Bleacher Report's Tim Collins in a state of shock:
Malaga's first away victory of the La Liga campaign pulls them outside the bottom three by virtue of goal difference, while Rayo take their place and slip down to 18th in the standings.
Following the November loss to Athletic, this is also Rayo's first time suffering successive home defeats in the league this season, and Sunday's result could come to play a major role in their race against relegation.
