Real Madrid emerged victorious in the Madrid derby this weekend as goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil secured a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu.
The result moved Real five points behind their capital rivals, but they are still 11 points shy of Barcelona, who thumped Athletic Bilbao 5-1 at the Nou Camp.
Valencia's shambolic 5-2 home defeat to Real Sociedad saw the end of Mauricio Pellegrino's managerial reign. Meanwhile, Getafe moved level on points with Malaga following a 1-0 win in Saturday's early start.
Sunday began with a 0-0 draw between Granada and Espanyol as both sides remained in the bottom three. Meanwhile, Real Betis edged a five-goal thriller against Deportivo La Coruna.
The weekend's final two matches both had late twists as Celta Vigo were held at home to Levante and Real Mallorca secured a point against 10-man Real Zaragoza.
Here, Sports Mole selects its 11 top performers following another pulsating weekend of action in Spain's top division.
Roberto (Real Zaragoza)
The 26-year-old put in a simply stunning performance as 10-man Zaragoza secured a point away to Real Mallorca. But for his heroics they would have lost.
Mikel Gonzalez (Real Sociedad)
The 27-year-old was among the goals as Sociedad beat Valencia on Saturday. Meanwhile, he was a colossus in the heart of the defence as his side picked up a vital three points.
Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
It is no coincidence that Barcelona look better at the back when Pique is in the team. The Spaniard was also among the goals as his side thumped Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp.
Alberto Lopo (Getafe)
The 32-year-old is another defender who hit the back of the net this weekend. But it was his defensive work against Malaga that drew most attention in a 1-0 win over the Champions League outfit.
Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese put in a masterclass of the left-back role in his side's win over Atletico. He defended and attacked with equal confidence and never gave his man a sniff of the action.
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)
Is there another defensive midfielder in world football as good as the Spaniard? Again, he didn't put a foot wrong in his side's win over Bilbao.
Benat (Real Betis)
The 25-year-old put in another dazzling display in his side's 3-2 win over Deportivo. He is now rightly regarded as one of the best midfield talents in La Liga.
Emiliano Armenteros (Osasuna)
The 26-year-old played a key role as his side recorded a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Friday. His passing and distribution were of the highest order throughout the entire match.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The Argentine hit another double – his fifth brace in five straight matches – against Bilbao to move onto an incredible 28 goals for the season. What more can be said? He is going to break every scoring record in the book.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese was the best player on the pitch as Real beat Atletico on Saturday. A goal and an assist capped his best performance in a white shirt this season.
Ruben Castro (Real Betis)
The 31-year-old scored twice as his side beat Deportivo 3-2 on Sunday. Betis had few chances throughout the match, which made his clinical finishing all the more important.
