Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga after a convincing 4–1 home win over Real Sociedad, a night marked by the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Making his first start in over two months, the England international marked the occasion with an early assist, crossing for Gonzalo García to open the scoring inside five minutes.
Although Mikel Oyarzabal briefly restored parity from the spot, two penalties from Vinícius Júnior and a thunderous Federico Valverde strike ensured a comfortable win that lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s side two points clear at the summit.
The title picture was further shaken elsewhere in the capital as Atlético Madrid suffered a stunning 3–0 defeat to relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano.
Played at Leganés’ Butarque Stadium amid a fan boycott, the result marked Atlético’s second straight league loss and dropped Diego Simeone’s side to fourth.
Goals from Fran Pérez, Óscar Valentín, and Nobel Mendy sealed a historic Rayo win and lifted them out of the drop zone.
In the Valencian derby, Valencia claimed a vital 2–0 away victory over Levante. Largie Ramazani broke the deadlock before Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq sealed the points late on, pushing Los Che clear of relegation trouble.
Meanwhile, Real Betis capitalised on Atlético’s stumble with a 2–1 win at Mallorca, closing the gap on the Champions League places and adding further intrigue to an increasingly volatile La Liga season.