Real Madrid brushed past a poor Real Sociedad side 5-1 on Saturday night to keep their nerve after dropping four points in their last two matches.

　　Gonzalo Higuain scored an early goal and two each from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema wrapped up and easy win after a Xabi Prieto goal had given the visitors a glimmer of hope before the break.

　　FC Barcelona had kicked the weekend off with a 2-0 win in Mallorca to maintain the pressure at the top of the table.

　　Leo Messi scored a freak goal from a cross which evaded everyone before ending in the back of the net and Alexis Sanchez hit the post before the break.

　　Thiago Alcantara was harshly sent off early in the second half for handball when the ball had hit his shoulder, but Barcelona defended well with a player less and Gerard Pique sealed the win with 10 minutes remaining when he scored from close range after Messi had hit the post.

　　Third-placed Valencia lost 3-1 in Getafe after taking the lead after 5 minutes from Roberto Soldado goal. Getafe turned things around before the break with goals from Pedro Rios, Miku and an own goal from Bruno Saltor.

　　Apono's injury time penalty gave Zaragoza a dramatic 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid and keeps his side in with a chance of avoiding relegation.

　　Osasuna continued their challenge for a place in Europe next season with a 2-0 win away to Levante. Goals from Raul Garcia and Nino gave Jose Luis Mendilibar's side a fine win to help them prepare for next weekend's visit of Real Madrid.

　　Levante's defeat allowed Malaga to leapfrog them into fourth place thanks to a fightback away to Espanyol. Philippe Coutinho had put Espanyol ahead with a clever free kick under the Malaga defensive wall after 24 minutes, but Malaga fought back well in the second half and two goals in three minutes from Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Martin Demichelis saw them turn it around in the last 15 minutes.

　　Malaga are now level on points with Valencia and can think about direct qualification for the Champions League.

　　Athletic Club Bilbao could only draw 1-1 at home to struggling Sporting Gijon after Lora scored an injury time equalizer for the visitors. Oscar de Marcos had put Athletic ahead and Iker Munian missed a penalty that would have opened the scoring in the first half.

　　Finally Villarreal took a huge step towards safety thanks to a 2-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano. Miguel Angel Lotina's side too the points thanks to goals from Marco Ruben and Angel Lopez and have now taken four points from two matches under their experienced new coach.

　　Racing Santander also keep battling for survival and took a valuable 1-1 draw from their visit to Betis. Roque Santa Cruz opened the scoring for Betis in the first half, but Christian Stauni secured a point for the visitors with just over 10 minutes remaining.

　　Granada and Sevilla close the round of games when they meet on Monday night.