La Liga Results 2016: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 24 Matches

Gary Neville finally got his first win as Valencia boss after Los Che beat Espanyol 2-1 at the Mestalla on Saturday. Relief for Neville came on the same night Real Madrid went second by beating Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu, thanks in part to a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here are the full final scores from Saturday's games:

Home	Score	Away
Real Madrid	4-2	Athletic Bilbao
Villarreal	1-0	Malaga
Valencia	2-1	Espanyol
Deportivo La Coruna	2-2	Real Betis Balompie

Here's what those results mean for the table:

Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Barcelona	23	17	3	2	39	54
2	Real Madrid	24	16	5	3	47	53
3	Atletico Madrid	23	16	3	4	23	51
4	Villarreal	24	14	6	4	12	48
5	Sevilla	23	10	7	6	8	37
6	Athletic Bilbao	24	10	5	9	1	35
7	Celta Vigo	23	10	5	8	-2	35
8	Eibar	23	9	6	8	5	33
9	Deportivo La Coruna	24	6	14	5	2	32
10	Malaga	24	8	6	10	0	30
11	Valencia	24	6	10	8	3	28
12	Real Sociedad	23	7	6	10	-3	27
13	Getafe	23	7	5	11	-9	26
14	Real Betis	24	6	8	10	-14	26
15	Rayo Vallecano	24	6	6	12	-17	24
16	Sporting Gijon	23	6	5	12	-12	23
17	Espanyol	24	6	4	14	-27	22
18	Las Palmas	23	5	6	12	-13	21
19	Granada	23	5	5	13	-21	20
20	Levante	23	4	5	14	-22	17

Recap

Two second-half goals in the space of five minutes saved Neville in Valencia after Oscar Duarte had put Espanyol in front. Squawka was quick to note how falling behind has become a familiar problem for Neville since he entered the dugout:

But first Alvaro Negredo, then Denis Cheryshev, struck to give Los Che a rare three points on the former Manchester United right-back's watch. The impact of the latter's goal wasn't lost on Jamie Carragher, Neville's one-time broadcast colleague at Sky Sports.

While offering his congratulations, the ex-Liverpool defender allowed himself a slight joke at Neville's expense:

Carragher was referring to Mark Robins' 1990 FA Cup goal that may or may not have saved then-Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

Neville saw the humour, per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan:

The embattled gaffer also indicated he understands the nature of the criticism he'd been subjected to during Valencia's winless run, even referencing his own time on the other side of the argument:

Looking to build on a first win, Neville also announced an addition to his coaching staff, per Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror:

Being willing to accept extra help is a wise move the Guardian's Sid Lowe has applauded:

Of course, one win won't completely gloss over the issues in Valencia. But Neville still has a core group of talented players at his disposal, including Sofiane Feghouli and Paco Alcacer. Getting that group to buy into his ideas remains his biggest and most important challenge.

The biggest challenge facing La Liga defences at the moment is stopping Ronaldo. He overtook Barcelona's Luis Suarez as the division's top goalscorer after netting twice against Bilbao, according to Corrigan.

He also turned provider to supply a goal for German playmaker Toni Kroos. Now Ronaldo is emerging as a prolific creator, per Squawka:

James Rodriguez also found the net for a Madrid team that produced some classy football going forward. Manager Zinedine Zidane has Los Blancos playing with the kind of bold expression fans demand. More consistency away from home could yet help the Frenchman deliver major prizes this season.

One club also pushing for a big reward is Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine beat Malaga to pad an already healthy lead in the fourth and final UEFA Champions League place.

Cerebral finisher Roberto Soldado pounced for the only goal, but it was some typically miserly form at the back that really earned the three points.

As OptaJose detailed, clean sheets at home have become a feature of Villarreal's season:

Betis and Deportivo shared four goals in the late game. Alex Bergantinos put Depor ahead before Chelsea loanee Charly Musonda equalised for the visitors.

A Juan Vargas free-kick gave Deportivo a real scare before Faycal Fajr evened the score early in the second half. The point did neither side much good.

Winger Lucas Perez was the main man for Depor, as OptaJose revealed:

Neville will reflect on at least a brief end to what has been a nightmare period for the newbie manager. But it's another rookie senior chief, Real's Zidane, who should be turning heads.

His side is playing with the fluency and attacking intent rarely seen under predecessor Rafa Benitez. It's a style much closer to the club's core philosophy, and one that can still land silverware this season.