La Liga Results 2017: Full Table and Scores After Final Week 18 Match
Real Sociedad moved into fifth place in La Liga on Monday, as a professional display earned them a 2-0 win over Malaga at La Rosaleda Stadium.
Goals in the second half from Inigo Martinez and Juanmi were enough to see Eusebio Sacristan's side to a comfortable triumph, continuing their impressive recent run of form.
After leapfrogging Villarreal, Sociedad are just two points back on Atletico Madrid, while Malaga remain in 13th after a third successive defeat in the Spanish top flight.
Here's a look back at Monday's action, plus a recap of how an absorbing and potentially crucial La Liga weekend panned out.
| 1 | Real Madrid | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 46 | 16 | +30 | 40 |
| 2 | Sevilla | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 39 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 17 | +30 | 38 |
| 4 | Atletico Madrid | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 14 | +18 | 34 |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 32 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 31 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 19 | +3 | 28 |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 32 | -3 | 27 |
| 9 | Eibar | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 26 |
| 10 | Las Palmas | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 24 |
| 11 | Espanyol | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 25 | -3 | 23 |
| 12 | Alaves | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 22 |
| 13 | Malaga | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 21 |
| 14 | Real Betis | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 21 |
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruna | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 18 |
| 16 | Leganes | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 29 | -16 | 17 |
| 17 | Valencia | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 33 | -7 | 16 |
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 19 | 37 | -18 | 12 |
| 19 | Granada | 18 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 39 | -24 | 10 |
| 20 | Osasuna | 18 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 38 | -21 | 9 |
| Leganes | 0-0 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Barcelona | 5-0 | Las Palmas |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-0 | Real Betis |
| Deportivo La Coruna | 0-0 | Villarreal |
| Valencia | 2-1 | Espanyol |
| Celta Vigo | 1-0 | Alaves |
| Sporting Gijon | 2-3 | Eibar |
| Granada | 1-1 | Osasuna |
| Sevilla | 2-1 | Real Madrid |
| Malaga | 0-2 | Real Sociedad |
Monday Review
Given Villarreal unexpectedly dropped points at Deportivo La Coruna over the weekend, Sociedad had a brilliant opportunity to move up the table with a win on Monday.
It took the Basque outfit some time to assert themselves on the contest, although Willian Jose's snapshot from distance in the 12th minute, which flashed narrowly wide, was a message to Malaga about what this team is capable of.
David Zurutuza also came close for the visitors, after some smart footwork saw him escape the attention of his marker before firing over. But neither side had stamped their authority on the match at the break, with Malaga's plan of playing on the counter-attack not troubling Sociedad.
Five minutes after the restart, the game got the goal it needed. Martinez was the man who broke the deadlock, as his free-kick from the edge of the box ricocheted off a Malaga defender and beyond Carlos Kameni.
Per OptaJose, the defender has long been one of the most prolific players in his position in La Liga:
The opener emboldened La Real, who suddenly had more purpose in their passing. They continued to threaten from set pieces, too, with Aritz Elustondo heading narrowly wide from a corner. It proved to be a warning the hosts didn't heed.
Indeed, another corner was fizzed into the area and after Willian Jose's knockdown, Juanmi was the quickest to react in the box, doubling the visitors' advantage with 28 minutes to play.
Malaga looked a beaten outfit after the second goal, and with star attacker Sandro Ramirez having hobbled off in the first period due to an injury, their forward forays lacked the ingenuity needed to break down a solid Sociedad defence.
It meant Sacristan's men were unflustered in the final stages, keeping their two-goal lead intact to surge up the table.
Weekend Review
Sevilla blew the title race wide open in La Liga on Sunday, as they staged a stunning late show to beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Los Blancos looked set to extend their remarkable unbeaten run of 40 games unbeaten when Cristiano Ronaldo gave them the lead from the penalty spot. However, an own goal from Sergio Ramos in the 85th minute levelled the game for the hosts, before Stevan Jovetic fired home a wonderful winner in stoppage time.
As we can see here courtesy of the Guardian's Sid Lowe, there was a remarkable atmosphere conjured by those in attendance for the contest, too:
It's a win that pushes Sevilla to within just one point of Real, having played a game more. Suddenly, the Andalusian outfit look as though they are capable of pushing for what would be an incredible title triumph under their fearless manager, Jorge Sampaoli.
The result also brought Barcelona back into contention, as they are just a point further back on Sevilla; the Blaugrana turned in one of their best performances of the season to hammer Las Palmas 5-0 on Saturday.
Luis Suarez struck a brace, while Lionel Messi, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal also got on the scoresheet on the day.
Sports journalist Rafael Hernandez was impressed with what he saw from the home side, although he stated more improvement is needed:
Elsewhere at the top, Atletico Madrid continued their solid start to 2017, notching a determined 1-0 win at home to Real Betis. Nicolas Gaitan, who has failed to find form since his move from Benfica in the summer, netted the winner on a rare start.
Villarreal, meanwhile, lost ground after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Deportivo La Coruna.
Valencia also picked up a huge victory, as they beat Espanyol 2-1 to pull clear of relegation trouble. Los Che are now four points clear of the bottom three and have a game in hand on their positional rivals.
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