La Liga Table 2017 Week 26: Standings and Final Scores After Sunday

Atletico Madrid regained their place in the top four of La Liga after beating Valencia 3-0 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. As he often is, Antoine Griezmann proved the talisman for the hosts, scoring twice to punish Los Che.

Atleti's big win came on a day when Athletic Bilbao moved up in the race for the European places, while Deportivo La Coruna scored crucial points in the battle against relegation.

Here are the final scores from Sunday's matches:

Home	Score	Away
Sporting Gijon	0-1	Deportivo La Coruna
Atletico Madrid	2-0	Valencia
Las Palmas	5-2	Osasuna
Athletic Bilbao	1-0	Malaga

Here's what those results mean for the updated standings:

Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Barcelona	26	18	6	2	55	60
2	Real Madrid	25	18	5	2	41	59
3	Sevilla	25	17	4	4	20	55
4	Atletico Madrid	26	14	7	5	26	49
5	Real Sociedad	26	15	3	8	6	48
6	Villarreal	26	12	9	5	19	45
7	Athletic Bilbao	26	12	5	9	2	41
8	Eibar	26	11	6	9	5	39
9	Espanyol	26	9	9	8	0	36
10	Celta Vigo	25	10	5	10	-5	35
11	Alaves	25	8	9	8	-6	33
12	Las Palmas	26	8	8	10	-1	32
13	Valencia	26	8	5	13	-11	29
14	Real Betis	25	7	6	12	-14	27
15	Malaga	26	6	8	12	-11	26
16	Leganes	26	6	6	14	-19	24
17	Deportivo La Coruna	25	5	8	12	-12	23
18	Granada	26	4	7	15	-30	19
19	Sporting Gijon	26	4	5	17	-28	17
20	Osasuna	26	1	7	18	-37	10

Recap

Griezmann needed just 10 minutes to put Atletico in front after he exchanged a neat one-two with playmaker Koke. Pace took Griezmann clear once he received the return pass, while the slide finish only emphasised the ruthless streak of one of the deadliest goalscorers on the continent.

Griezmann is prolific in front of goal, but Koke has established a niche for providing scoring chances, according to Squawka Football:

Kevin Gameiro doubled Atletico's lead three minutes after the break when he squirmed a shot through a melee in the box. The French striker hasn't always been lauded since his summer arrival from Sevilla, but Gameiro remains a vital member of Madrid's forward line.

It was three when Griezmann showed superb instincts to race onto a deflection and nudge the ball to the side of Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves. The finish was a suitable way for Griezmann to stand out in a landmark game with Atletico, according to Sky Sports Statto:

One more goal also continued Griezmann's awesome scoring run in the Spanish top flight:

Ironically, Griezmann's brilliance is extinguishing the hopes of former club Real Sociedad in the race for a top-four finish. Atleti won't be players in this season's title race, but the club is a good bet to again be playing UEFA Champions League football next season.

While Atleti tightened their own grip on a Champions League place, Bilbao also strengthened their bid to play in a European tournament next season. Their win was hard-fought, though, with the hosts needing a late penalty to beat Malaga at San Mames.

The spot-kick was awarded in the 72nd minute after defensive midfielder Ignacio Camacho handled in the box. Versatile forward Raul Garcia stepped up and made no mistake with the penalty.

Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Garcia's penalty has moved Athletic above Eibar into seventh. Manager Ernesto Valverde has Bilbao in a strong position to again play in the UEFA Europa League next season.

Earlier in the day, Pedro Mosquera scored in first-half stoppage time to give Depor a priceless win at El Molinon Stadium.

Holding player Mosquera's goal has created a four-point cushion for Deportivo above the drop zone. By contrast, Gijon remain in big trouble still six points short of safety.

Elsewhere, Las Palmas followed their shock recent draw away to Real Madrid with a fine win over Osasuna in Gran Canaria. The hosts were 2-1 down to La Liga's bottom side at the break but scored four times in the second half.

Part of Las Palmas' five-goal salvo included two finishes from Paris Saint-Germain loanee Jese Rodriguez. OptaJose noted how Jese is already as prolific as he was for his parent club:

Las Palmas also got a goal from Roque Mesa, who was one of two players for the hosts singled out for praise by Sid Lowe of the Guardian:

Mesa and crafty midfielder Jonathan Viera indeed merited the praise thanks to the way they moved the ball suavely between the lines. Viera and Mesa dovetailed superbly with Hamburg loanee Alen Halilovic, as Las Palmas turned on the style.

This season's title race still looks like the exclusive purview of Barca, Real and Sevilla. However, Atleti and Bilbao are doing what they can to remain relevant in European tournament football next season.