Real Madrid capitalised on dropped points from both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to move four points clear at the top of La Liga this weekend.
Los Blancos opened week 15's action with a 4-1 win at Almeria, but Barcelona were held to a goalless draw away to Getafe on Saturday afternoon.
Atletico, meanwhile, lost 1-0 at home to Villarreal on Sunday evening, with that result leaving the Spanish champions seven points off the pace currently set by their capital rivals.
Valencia and Malaga both continued their push for European football with victories on Saturday. Los Che beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0 at the Mestalla, before Malaga continued their strong form with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.
Cordoba, meanwhile, made it another match unbeaten as the newly-promoted outfit drew at home to Levante.
In Sunday's early start, Espanyol recovered from last weekend's thumping against Barcelona to record a 2-1 win over Granada. Sevilla could not strengthen their grip on fourth position, however, as the Europa League winners were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Eibar.
The Basque derby concluded Sunday's action as Real Sociedad welcomed Athletic Bilbao to the Anoeta. David Moyes's side took the lead early on, but 10-man Bilbao responded in the second period to secure a 1-1 draw.
On Monday, Deportivo La Coruna recorded just their third league win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Elche, who remain rooted to the bottom.
Here, Sports Mole has picked out its 11 star performers from another pulsating weekend of La Liga football.
Vicente Guaita (Getafe)
Barcelona did not exactly pepper the Getafe goal with efforts on Saturday, but Guaita made a quite stunning save in the first period to deny Lionel Messi. The visitors resorted to high balls in the latter stages and Guaita remained strong. It was a brilliant display from the Spaniard.
Raul Navas (Eibar)
Eibar will not have expected too much from their trip to Sevilla on Sunday, but the newly-promoted outfit put on a stern defensive display to secure a goalless draw. One of the main reasons for their success was the performance of Navas, who was a rock at the back.
Victor Ruiz (Villarreal)
Valencia allowed Ruiz to leave the Mestalla on loan in the summer and their loss has been Villarreal's gain this season. The 25-year-old has been excellent in recent weeks, but put in his best performance of the season on Sunday as the Yellow Submarine won 1-0 at the champions Atletico.
Emiliano Velazguez (Getafe)
The on-loan Atletico defender further enhanced his growing reputation with a strong performance in his side's goalless draw with Barcelona. The centre-back helped keep Messi quiet for long spells, while the Spaniard was also calm and composed in possession of the ball.
Jose Crespo (Cordoba)
Cordoba have been harder to beat in recent weeks and the newly-promoted side continued their unbeaten run with a 0-0 draw against Levante on Saturday. The performance of Crespo stood out for the hosts, with the 27-year-old defensively sound and a threat in the final third.
Luis Farina (Deportivo La Coruna)
The 23-year-old, who is currently on loan at Deportivo from Benfica, proved the match-winner on Monday as his first-half strike helped his loan side overcome Elche in the bottom-of-the-table clash. The Argentine was the star of the show as he shone in the final third.
Bruno Soriano (Villarreal)
Bruno did not receive the headlines following Villarreal's 1-0 win over Atletico on Sunday, but the Spanish international was a key contributor to the surprise win. The midfielder radiated class each time he had possession and kept things ticking over in the middle of the park.
Isco (Real Madrid)
The Spaniard has quickly become one of the form players in the league this season. The midfielder's strong form continued on Friday as he netted the opener in Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Almeria. It was a beautiful curling effort from the 22-year-old.
Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia)
Valencia returned to winning ways in the league this weekend as they beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0 to consolidate fifth spot in the table. At the forefront of their strong performance was Feghouli, who netted twice at the Mestalla. It was a very impressive afternoon for the attacker.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
In truth, the Portuguese struggled to find his best form during long spells of Real Madrid's trip to Almeria on Friday, but as expected, the attacker came through in the end in spectacular fashion. A late brace for Ronaldo made it 25 league goals for the season in just 14 matches.
Luciano Vietto (Villarreal)
The Argentine scored the winner as Villarreal beat Atletico at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday. Vietto missed a golden chance 15 minutes from time, but held his nerve late on to finish past Miguel Moya. The 21-year-old was a constant threat to the Atletico defence throughout the contest.
