La Liga Results 2016: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 8 Matches
Atletico Madrid preserved their place atop La Liga on Saturday after dismantling Granada 7-1 at the Vicente Calderon following Yannick Carrasco's first career hat-trick.
Isaac Cuenca shocked Los Rojiblancos with his early opener in Madrid, but Atleti fired back with a vengeance, and Carrasco bagged three of his own before Nicolas Gaitan followed up with a brace of his own, joined on the scoresheet by Tiago and Angel Correa.
Real Madrid drew back level with their local rivals at La Liga's perch after bulldozing their way to a 6-1 victory at Real Betis, where Isco took his chance at a rare start with a brace to go along with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Marcelo and Raphael Varane.
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Earlier on Saturday, Sevilla stayed one point ahead of Barcelona after Antonio Sanabria scored late to seal a first away win of the season for manager Jorge Sampaoli's side in their trip to Leganes.
Barca hammered 10-man Deportivo La Coruna 4-0, as Lionel Messi made a welcome return to fitness at the Camp Nou, scoring in the second half after Rafinha's brace and Luis Suarez's addition gave the hosts a 3-0 half-time lead.
Read on for a recap of Saturday's Week 8 results, complete with a look at La Liga's updated standings and a breakdown of the day's scores.
| Leganes | 2-3 | Sevilla |
| Barcelona | 4-0 | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Atletico Madrid | 7-1 | Granada |
| Real Betis | 6-1 | Real Madrid |
| 1 | Atletico Madrid | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 3 | +18 | 18 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 18 |
| 3 | Sevilla | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 17 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 10 | +16 | 16 |
| 5 | Villarreal | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 13 |
| 6 | Las Palmas | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 12 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 12 |
| 8 | Eibar | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 11 |
| 9 | Leganes | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 10 |
| 10 | Celta Vigo | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 |
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | Alaves | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 9 |
| 13 | Real Betis | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 18 | -9 | 8 |
| 14 | Deportivo La Coruna | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 8 |
| 15 | Malaga | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 8 |
| 16 | Espanyol | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 7 |
| 17 | Sporting Gijon | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 7 |
| 18 | Valencia | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 6 |
| 19 | Osasuna | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Granada | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 23 | -15 | 2 |
Recap
Sevilla might have applied pressure at La Liga's perch with a Week 8 win of their own, but Atleti hit back in style after Carrasco's hat-trick showcase left Granada stunned in the capital.
Manager Diego Simeone's side showed great character after Cuenca re-wrote the script slightly thanks to his breakthrough finish, but it was Carrasco who stole the show with his landmark display, per Sky Sports Statto:
The Belgian winger has been in sensational form for his side this season, and Gaitan came on with 30 minutes remaining to show he can also have a potent impact when called upon.
The Argentinian scored with his first touch of the ball before notching a second in the 81st minute, leading Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse to point out how Atleti's approach has shifted of late:
Gaitan wasn't the only substitute to score, either, as Tiago converted Atletico's third goal in the space of six minutes shortly after Correa made it 6-1, and Granada were sent packing from Madrid with their tails between their legs.
Real did their part to keep up pressure at the top of the table after blitzing Betis with four goals in the first half of their Saturday meeting, a landmark achievement this season, according to OptaJose:
Toni Kroos set up opening goals for French duo Varane and Benzema before Marcelo and Isco put Los Blancos 4-0 ahead at the break, but Ronaldo was struggling to have his usual impact in attack.
Manager Zinedine Zidane's side came into this contest having drawn their last four matches across all competitions, but Sky Sports Statto confirmed a change of pace after Isco followed in with his second and Ronaldo added Real's sixth in the 78th minute:
Alvaro Cejudo pulled one back for the hosts in the 55th minute to make the score 4-1, but Los Merengues stomped their way back into a winning run, with a UEFA Champions League meeting against Legia Warsaw awaiting them on Tuesday.
Sampaoli's run as Sevilla boss has been a breath of fresh air at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan so far this season, but away results had still be lacking for the club this season—until Saturday's trip to Leganes.
The visitors still lacked a certain finesse after dropping a 2-0 lead following goals from Franco Vazquez and Samir Nasri, but David Cartlidge of beIN Sports noted the win was still deserved following Sanabria's late winner:
The former Getafe star cut in off the left before wrapping a superbly taken right-footed shot into the top-right corner, meaning David Timor and Alexander Szymanowski's levelling efforts meant little for Leganes.
After a busy summer of transfer activity, Sevilla are reaping the benefits of their new assets, and Goal's Ben Hayward hailed the individual stars such as Nasri and Sanabria having their impact:
Barcelona will have to bide their time just shy of the summit, but Messi made a successful return to fitness against Deportivo, who were no match for the Camp Nou hosts as Rafinha shone brightest on Saturday.
The 23-year-old has been enjoying his increased responsibilities under manager Luis Enrique this season, and ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan praised the midfielder's prolific record so far in the campaign:
Pace Alcacer came on to see a raft of chances evade his grasp as his search for a maiden Barca goal continued, but Messi was on target after returning to club action following nearly a month out of commission.
Despite stealing the limelight, however, two-goal hero Rafinha was still unselfishly eager to point team-mate Messi out as the real catalyst behind his side's win, per Barca's official Twitter account:
The Blaugrana now sit just a point shy of Sevilla, and Laure's sending-off in the 65th minute ensured Depor's demise was all the simpler, although the hosts still didn't add to their four-goal tally after his dismissal.
Enrique also had one eye on Wednesday's UEFA Champions League encounter against Manchester City, taking off Rafinha, Suarez and Sergio Busquets in an effort to preserve his stars ahead of their European clash.
