It was an action-packed day of football in the La Liga as defending champions Atletico Madrid beat an ambitious Rayo Vallecano side. Athletic Club were held by Getafe, while Granada beat Alaves in a thrilling five-goal encounter. Osasuna breezed past a tame Levante squad that offered very little resistance, and Goncalo Guedes’ powerful strike from inside the six-yard box meant that Valencia posted an important win over Elche, who are now at 14th place.
Getafe and Atheltic Club played out a gripping draw as striker Enes Unal’s header put the visitors in front after just three minutes of play. It was an end-to-end game from start to finish, but Yuri Berichiche’s effort before the stroke of the half-hour mark levelled matters.
Meanwhile, the Mendizorrotza Stadium hosted a thrilling encounter as the home side Alaves took on Granada. It was a contest full of goals, but Granada managed to take home the three points, sealing their third and final goal, very close to the 90-minute mark, as Colombian centre-forward Luis Suarez scored the winner. Joselu’s missed penalty in the first half turned out to be very costly as it meant that Alaves lost all three points at home.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, Valencia’s goalkeeper, was on fire against Elche, as he ended up keeping his sixth clean sheet in the ongoing edition of LaLiga. His distribution was also fantastic and also delivered long balls with great accuracy, as his teammate Goncalo Guedes scored the only goal of the encounter, with Hugo Guillamon’s early effort being chalked off for offside.
Ruben Garcia was brilliant for Osasuna as his team wrapped up an easy 3-1 win over Levante. Ante Budimir got a goal and an assist as the Croatian played an instrumental role in his side’s victory.
Midfield orchestrator Koke was once again fabulous in the middle of the park for Atletico, after his sensational performance against Manchester United in the Champions League. The Spaniard was the difference between Atletico and Rayo Vallecano, as he registered a composed finish after an elegant exchange of passes between him and the impressive Joao Felix.
Diego Simeone’s men now are third in the points table, just three points above Barcelona, who have two more games in hand, including the highly-anticipated El Clasico on Sunday.
2021/22 LaLiga top 6
| # | Team | Matches played | Goal difference | Points |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 28 | +38 | 66 |
| 2 | Sevilla | 28 | +21 | 56 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 29 | +17 | 54 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 27 | +23 | 51 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 28 | +15 | 49 |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 28 | 0 | 47 |
