La Liga Results 2019: Table, Scores and Reaction After Final Week 19 Match

Real Sociedad and Espanyol closed out Week 19 of the 2018-19 La Liga season with a bang, serving up a 3-2 thriller at the Estadio Anoeta on Monday.

Willian Jose was the hero for the hosts with two goals, while Mikel Merino also scored in the 3-2 win and got sent off. The result moved La Real up to eighth place, but La Liga's midfield battle remains as close as ever. The gap between the Txuri-Urdin and 17th-placed Celta Vigo is just four points.

Here is a look at the La Liga table (Team, Played, Goal Difference, Points):

1. Barcelona 19, +33, 43

2. Atletico Madrid 19, +14, 38

3. Sevilla 19, +11, 33

4. Real Madrid 19, +4, 33

5. Deportivo Alaves 19, +3, 32

6. Getafe 19, +5, 28

7. Real Betis 19, -1, 26

8. Real Sociedad 19, +1, 25

9. Girona 19, -2, 24

10. Espanyol 19, -6, 24

11. Valencia 19, 0, 23

12. Levante 19, -5, 23

13. Leganes 19, -4, 22

15. Real Valladolid 19, -4, 22

15. Athletic Bilbao 19, -5, 22

16. Eibar 19, -7, 22

17. Celta Vigo 19, -1, 21

18. Rayo Vallecano 19, -12, 19

19. Villarreal 19, -5, 17

20. SD Huesca 19, -19, 11

The Txuri-Urdin took a dream start on Monday, as Merino opened the scoring after just three minutes. Adnan Januzaj's corner found the head of Willian, and while his header was kept out by the post, Merino was there to power home the rebound.

Espanyol were reeling and gave away a penalty shortly after. Per La Liga blogger Brendy Boyle, there was no question the video assistant referee got it right:

Willian converted, giving the hosts a two-goal advantage.

That lead seemed likely to hold as Espanyol struggled, but they too would find two goals in the first half. Just past the half-hour mark, Naldo bagged his first La Liga goal on a corner, heading home, and the unfortunate Diego Llorente put the ball in his own net to put the half-time score on the board:

It was the in-form Willian who restored the lead after the break, this time with a clever finish from close range. As shared by sportswriter Joseph Sexton, Merino was also involved again:

It marked Willian's third goal in his last two matches, having also scored and recorded an assist in the shock win over Real Madrid.

The better chances late were for La Real, who held on for the win despite Merino's dismissal. Espanyol have now lost seven of their last eight La Liga contests.