La Liga Table 2019 Week 19: Updated Standings Following Friday's Results

Real Madrid loanee Raul de Tomas scored a hat-trick to help Rayo Vallecano earn a 4-2 win at home to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Friday night.

Three points are precious for relegation-threatened Rayo, who remain in the bottom three but are now level on points with Athletic Bilbao and Leganes, who will both be in action over the weekend.

Former Manchester United outcast Bebe wrapped up Rayo's scoring in stoppage time. Celta had led 2-1 inside 20 minutes thanks to Nestor Araujo and a penalty from Maxi Gomez.

Defeat has left Celta suddenly sweating the drop. The club is now just four points above the relegation zone and will be mindful of how second-bottom Villarreal perform at home to Getafe on Saturday.

Standings

(played, won, goal difference and points)

1. Barcelona: 18, 12, +30, 40

2. Atletico Madrid: 18, 9, +13, 35

3. Sevilla: 18, 9, +13, 33

4. Alaves: 18, 9, +3, 31

5. Real Madrid: 18, 9, +3, 30

6. Real Betis: 18, 7, 0, 26

7. Getafe: 18, 6, +4, 25

8. Espanyol: 18, 7, -5, 24

9. Girona: 18, 5, -2, 23

10. Levante: 18, 6, -4, 23

11. Real Sociedad: 18, 6, 0, 22

12. Valencia: 18, 4, 0, 22

13. Eibar: 18, 5, -4, 22

14. Celta Vigo: 18, 5, -1, 21

15. Real Valladolid: 18, 5, -4, 21

16. Leganes: 18, 4, -5, 19

17. Athletic Bilbao: 18, 3, -7, 19

18. Rayo Vallecano: 18, 5, -12, 19

19. Villarreal: 18, 3, -4, 17

20. Huesca: 18, 2, -18, 11

Tomas stroked in a free-kick to put the hosts in front after four minutes, but the lead proved to be short-lived. Celta hit back when Mexico international defender Araujo found the top corner from inside the box.

The visitors turned up the pressure and were in front four minutes later after Abdoulaye Ba handled in the box. Gomez stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards.

Rayo weren't deterred, though, and drew level eight minutes before the break when Tomas finished smartly after a neat pass from Luis Advincula.

An eventful second half finally saw a fifth goal in the 77th minute when Emiliano Velazquez teed up Tomas to complete his hat-trick. It marked a rare achievement for Rayo in Spain's top flight:

Ball-playing Uruguay defender Velazquez proved the creative spark again late on. He threaded a defence-splitting pass to release Bebe, who finished coolly.

His deft contribution proved enough to seal an invaluable victory for Rayo. Michel will know his team still has a lot of work to do to beat the drop, but he's seen enough quality in attacking areas to make the prospect of survival realistic.

Meanwhile, Celta continue to perform below expectations. A squad featuring quality players such as Iago Aspas in attack and Sofiane Boufal in midfield should have more points on the board at this stage of the season.

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Leganes and Athletic can dampen Rayo's spirits with wins, with the former likely for three points on Saturday when they host bottom side Huesca. By contrast, Athletic will find title-chasing Sevilla tougher to handle a day later.

Villarreal can go back above Rayo with a win. More victories for those around them will also pull Celta into an unlikely scrap to beat the drop.