Atletico Madrid returned to the top of the Primera Division standings with a 2-0 victory at Celta Vigo.
After seeing title rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid record big winning margins on Saturday, the pressure was on Diego Simeone's side to respond and, as they usually have so far this season, they delivered.
They found it tough to break down a dogged home team in the first half but Antoine Griezmann made the breakthrough after 49 minutes and substitute Yannick Carrasco made sure of the three points with 10 minutes remaining.
The win moved Atletico two points ahead of second-placed Barcelona, who have a game in hand, and four points clear of city rivals Real. Celta stay fifth in the table.
Gary Neville suffered his third defeat in all competitions as Valencia manager as Real Sociedad saw off Los Che 2-0 thanks to two second half strikes from Jonathas de Jesus.
The Brazilian forward took advantage of an error from Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech to knock in the first goal after 78 minutes, and four minutes later headed home the second, again taking making the most of a good cross from Carlos Martinez.
Although he has impressed onlookers at Valencia since taking charge, Neville's record after five league games does not make for encouraging reading, losing two, drawing three and winning none. His team have also been beaten in the Champions League since he took over, losing 2-0 to Lyon.
Eibar boosted their European hopes by beating Espanyol for a third consecutive Primera Division win.
Takashi Inui had given Eibar a 15th-minute lead but it was quickly cancelled out by Joan Jordan, who scored Espanyol's first away league goal for two months.
Borja's penalty 16 minutes from time sealed the 2-1 victory to move Eibar to within a point of sixth-placed Sevilla.
Two goals from Cedric Bakambu fired Villarreal to a sixth successive Primera Division victory as they overcame struggling Sporting Gijon 2-0 at El Madrigal.
The Congolese forward tapped in a pass from Roberto Soldado to open the scoring after 26 minutes and made the most of another move by his strike partner to double the lead early in the second half, netting his eighth goal of the season.
Marcelino's side tighten their hold on fourth place after the win and have taken 39 points from the first half of the season, equalling their best ever points record for the first half of a campaign. Sporting meanwhile slump to a fourth consecutive league loss and stay in the relegation zone, on 15 points.
Malaga's four-match winning run in the Primera Division ended with a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.
Roque Santa Cruz rescued a point for the visitors, extending their unbeaten run to seven league games, after Pedro Tana had opened the scoring.
On Saturday, Zinedine Zidane enjoyed a dream debut as Real Madrid manager, with Gareth Bale hitting a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Deportivo la Coruna. Karim Benzema notched the other two goals in a comprehensive win.
Leo Messi also notched a treble in Barcelona's 4-0 stroll past Granada. Neymar lobbed home the fourth.
Kevin Gameiro bagged a brace as Sevilla beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and Alvaro Vazquez's strike settled a 1-0 triumph for Getafe against Real Betis.
