After defeating Villarreal 4-1, Real Madrid reclaimed the top rank; they will maintain it until at least Monday when Girona returns to the field. Nonetheless, the jubilation was not entirely fulfilled when coach Carlo Ancelotti beheld the grave knee ιnjury endured by defender David Alaba.

Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Brahim Diaz all scored in support of Real Madrid, which reclaimed a one-point advantage over Girona, which hosts Alaves on Monday in the round of seventeen. After a 1-1 draw with Valencia on Saturday, Real Madrid are seven points clear of third-place Barcelona. The defending champions are currently in third place. “It is always advantageous to create distance with Barcelona,” said striker Rodrygo. However, seven points is not much; there is still a considerable amount of competition remaining. It is imperative that we maintain this mentality and persistently strive for victory in each contest.

David Alaba exited the field at the Santiago Bernabeu shortly after more than thirty minutes of play, requiring assistance. Following an attempt to take the ball near midfield, the Austrian defender’s left knee collapsed; he fell to the ground and called for assistance while clutching his knee. He carried Alaba off the field in the 34th minute due to his inability to bear weight on his left leg. This could be the most recent severe knee ιnjury suffered by a prominent player for Real Madrid this season. Due to severe knee injuries, both goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defender Eder Militao have been sidelined by Coach Ancelotti since the start of the tournament. “During halftime, he was extremely depressed,” Rodrygo remarked. “We are concerned about the testing process, which we must await.”

Bellingham and Rodrygo contributed to Real Madrid’s 2-0 halftime advantage by continuing their strong scoring form. In the 25th minute, Bellingham led the top scorer standings with his thirteenth goal in La Liga and seventh in his last nine matches. He accomplished this feat by heading in a pass from Modric, and Rodrygo added a goal. (5 goals in the previous six matches) seized the lead in the 37th minute. Diaz scored the third goal in the 64th minute following a magnificent run that began near the halfway line; he entered the box and defied two defenders before finishing. In the 68th minute, Modric completed the scoring with an additional goal from within the penalty area.

Last season, Villarreal defeated Real Madrid 3-2 at the Bernabeu; it was also the only failure in Real Madrid’s last 31 home contests. However, in this instance, a despondent Villarreal could only salvage a 54th-minute consolation goal from Jose Luis Morales. After losing three consecutive contests, Villarreal fell to fourteenth place. The Yellow Submarine have suffered their worst stretch of the season thus far, losing nine of their seventeen La Liga matches.

In a 0-0 draw at home against seventh-placed Real Betis, sixth-placed Real Sociedad was unfortunate, as three goals were disallowed and only two missiles got off the target. It was Sociedad’s ninth consecutive match without a loss across all competitions, and coach Manuel Pellegrini’s third consecutive draw against Real Betis.

Cadiz’s La Liga pointless stretch was extended to thirteen following a 1-1 stalemate with Las Palmas. Cadiz, which was tied in the 83rd minute by a goal from Chris Ramos, is within one point of the relegation zone. Las Palmas is rated ninth at this time.

After seventeen rounds of La Liga, Almeria remained the only team without a victory with a 0-0 draw at home against Mallorca. Under the ownership of Saudi Arabian investors, the club has suffered five draws and twelve losses. Eight points separate them from the first team outside the relegation zone. Mallorca, rated fifteenth, has gone five consecutive matches without suffering a loss across all competitions.