Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points on Saturday as they recorded a 3-0 victory over Alaves.
Karim Benzema was once again the star man for Los Blancos as he created goals for Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior before he converted a penalty in the stoppage-time as the Bernabeu side bounced back from midweek disappointment against Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, the major talking point in La Liga remains the battle for fourth spot. Atletico Madrid took it on at least a temporary basis on Saturday thanks to an emphatic 3-0 win against Osasuna.
Diego Simeone’s side, who face Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday, have struggled in recent weeks but had no such problems in Pamplona. Joao Felix opened the scoring after three minutes before Luis Suarez added to that lead around the hour mark. Although Atleti were by no means dominant Angel Correa set the seal on the victory.
The capital side are now up to 42 points, three clear of Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarine helped to turn the heat up on the other challengers for the Champions League spots by securing a victory on Saturday against Granada.
In-form attacker Arnaut Danjuma once again caught the eye as he netted a hat-trick, including two penalties. Luis Milla got one back form the penalty spot for the home side but Moi Gomez capped a fine afternoon for the guests by netting in stoppage time.
Both Barcelona and Sociedad will have the opportunity to reply on Saturday, when they face Valencia and Athletic Club away respectively.
Saturday’s other fixture was a relegation match up between Getafe and Cadiz that finished 1-1. That suited the side from Madrid more than their hosts, who are now on 20 points and four points from safety.
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