Real Madrid bounced back from defeat with a comfortable home win, Valencia rescued a draw in a bruising contest at Mestalla, while Girona earned a valuable point in their fight to avoid relegation.
Bellingham and García Lead Madrid Response
Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With Madrid already guaranteed second place and Oviedo already relegated, the match lacked pressure but still produced moments of quality. Gonzalo Garcia nearly created an early opener when he picked out Franco Mastantuono, only for Aaron Escandell to make a smart save. Trent Alexander-Arnold also threatened midway through the first half with a powerful strike that flashed narrowly wide.
Madrid gradually took control and finally found the breakthrough just before half-time. Brahim Diaz won possession high up the pitch before feeding Garcia, who calmly finished for his fifth La Liga goal of the season.
Oviedo had chances to equalise after the break, but Nacho Vidal wasted two good opportunities, while Alberto Reina also failed to convert from close range. The Bernabeu crowd then welcomed back Kylian Mbappe from injury, although the loudest cheers eventually belonged to Jude Bellingham.
The England midfielder came off the bench and sealed the win with 11 minutes remaining after clever footwork on the edge of the box before drilling his finish past the goalkeeper. Thibaut Courtois preserved the clean sheet late on with an excellent save from Haissem Hassan as Madrid stretched their unbeaten home run to five matches.
Valencia and Rayo Share Points at Mestalla
Valencia and Rayo Vallecano played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw in a match that offered little breathing room in the lower half of the table.
Rayo started brightly and were handed a perfect opportunity to take the lead after Renzo Saravia brought down Pacha inside the area. However, Randy Nteka struck the post from the penalty spot to give Valencia a major escape.
The visitors recovered quickly and opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Florian Lejeune rose highest to head home Gerard Gumbau's corner. Nteka then went close again, but Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski reacted quickly to keep his side in the game.
That save proved crucial because Valencia levelled before the interval through Diego Lopez, who finished first time after excellent work from Hugo Duro down the right.
The second half struggled to reach the same intensity as both teams suffered injuries, including Jose Gaya and Gumbau. Chances became rare, although Cesar Tarrega nearly snatched victory for Valencia in stoppage time with a header that drifted wide.
The draw extended Rayo's unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions, while Valencia remained within reach of a top-half finish after losing only once in their last five league games.
Stuani Fires Girona Out of Bottom Three
Girona climbed out of the relegation zone after battling back to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad.
Girona started with urgency and nearly scored inside four minutes when Viktor Tsygankov's effort was tipped onto the post. The home side continued to press, but Real Sociedad gradually settled and took the lead in the 28th minute.
Jon Martin rose above the Girona defence to head home Sergio Gomez's corner after goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had conceded a cheap set-piece. Girona responded well before the break, with Tsygankov and Azzedine Ounahi both testing Alex Remiro.
The hosts maintained the pressure after half-time and eventually found their equaliser through veteran striker Cristhian Stuani. The substitute arrived perfectly onto Arnau Martinez's low cross and finished first time to spark huge celebrations inside the stadium.
Girona pushed for a winner late on, and substitute Claudio Echeverri came close immediately after entering the match, but his shot drifted narrowly wide.
The point lifted Girona three places above the relegation zone, while Real Sociedad's winless league run stretched to six matches.
