Barcelona will be delighted to seal an important three points against Girona, while Real Madrid lost further ground in the title race following the draw against Real Sociedad.
Atletico Madrid and Sevilla were also victorious on Matchday 19. Here is the run-down of results from La Liga.
Girona 0-1 Barcelona: Barcelona extend lead at the top with a scrappy away win
Barcelona edged out home side Girona 1-0 to go five points clear at the top of the table. The game looked rather drab for large periods, but a moment of brilliance from the Catalan giants in the second half – Pedri finishing off a brilliant team effort – eventually made the difference.
The victory also marked the eighth on the trot for Xavi’s men, who have accumulated 47 points in La Liga after 18 games, five points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Real Madrid 0-0 Real Sociedad: Alex Remiro’s heroics halt Madrid at Bernabeu
Real Madrid were held to a stalemate by Real Sociedad in a thrilling encounter at Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos were the better side after creating several chances, but only to be denied by La Real goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
The Spanish shot-stopper pulled off some incredible saves, and the one that took the cake was his effort to deny Vinicius Junior’s strike in the final quarter.
The draw meant that Los Blancos had dropped points three times in their last six games in La Liga.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be disgruntled not to pick up a win against the Basque side despite dominating the game.
The result also could be detrimental to their title push as they are now five points adrift of leaders Barca.
On the other hand, La Real maintain their third place in the league table with 39 points.
Osasuna 1-0 Atletico Madrid: Saul and De Paul combine to help Simeone’s men pick up three points
Atletico Madrid bounced back from their Copa del Rey setback against Real Madrid with a crucial 1-0 win against Osasuna in La Liga.
Los Rojiblancos struggled to stamp their authority while Osasuna looked dangerous for large periods.
However, Saul Niguez’s goal in the 74th minute following a brilliant long ball from Rodrigo De Paul helped Diego Simeone’s men seal the game.
Atletico occupy the final Champions League spot with 34 points, trailing Real Sociedad by five points.
Sevilla 3-0 Elche: En-Nesyri’s double powers Sampaoli’s men to an emphatic victory
Sevilla were in low spirits following their disappointing defeat against Osasuna in the quarter-finals of Copa del Rey, where they conceded the winner in extra time.
However, the Andalusian outfit returned to winning ways with an emphatic victory against Elche, with Youssef En-Nesyri dominating the headlines with a double.
Jorge Sampaoli’s spell at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan has got off to a chaotic start, but he will be relieved to see his side pick back-to-back victories in La Liga.
Celta Vigo 1-0 Athletic Bilbao: Lions’ drought continues as Iago Aspas with the winner
Celta Vigo picked up a 1-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao, whose winless run since the resumption of La Liga continued.
Iago Aspas scored the decisive strike as he also stretched his goal tally to nine in La Liga this season.
It was an important victory for the home side, who have moved two spots clear of the relegation zone.
Other results
Getafe 0-1 Real Betis
Real Valladolid 1-0 Valencia
Almeria 3-1 Espanyol
Cadiz 2-0 Mallorca
