Atletico Madrid, with a star-studded team including Nahuel Molina, Julián Álvarez, and Ángel Correa, once again demonstrated their solidity in a dominant match. The game started with the red and whites looking to score from the first moments. Ayoze Pérez, Pape Gueye, Santi Comesaña, Thierno Barry, and Denis Suárez scored for Villarreal, while Selim Amallah scored for Valladolid. With this result, Villarreal is in fifth place with 37 points, while Valladolid is in last place with 15 points after suffering their third consecutive defeat.
Sevilla drew 0-0 against Getafe, staying in the middle of the table. On the other hand, despite having a powerful attack with players like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid failed to overcome Espanyol's defense. A lack of precision in the final third and the solidity of the home team kept the match level until Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the match in the 85th minute.
Atletico Madrid continued their successful streak by defeating Mallorca 2-0 at the Metropolitano, with a goal from Antoine Griezmann. This victory was special as it marked Diego Simeone's 500th match as the team's coach in La Liga. In other results of the day, Villarreal thrashed Valladolid 5-1. Despite this defeat, Real Madrid remains the leader with a one-point advantage over Atletico, leaving everything open for the Madrid classic next weekend at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In another match of the day, Real Madrid suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat against Espanyol. The goal came from Samuel Lino in the first half. Despite Mallorca's attempts to react, Atletico's defense and Jan Oblak's security prevented surprises. Atletico Madrid controlled the match and sealed the deal with Antoine Griezmann's entry in the second half. It is worth noting that Espanyol is fourteenth with 24 points, while Sevilla is in eleventh place with 28 points, four points away from international competition spots.
