It was a weekend that saw the top two clubs in Spain slip up yet again, Real Madrid losing to Deportivo on Saturday, and Barcelona responding by throwing away the lead twice to succumb to a draw to Almeria.
Valencia followed suit, and were comfortably beaten by Sevilla, the 2-1 scoreline not doing justice to the Andalucians. The result saw Manolo Jimenez's boys go fourth for the first time this season.
Villarreal move to within two points of Barcelona on the back of a 2-0 defeat of Zaragoza, while Espanyol took up fifth after pipping Real Mallorca thanks to a brace from Luis Garcia.
Atletico dropped down to sixth, and needed to respond. Respond they did, beating Levante 3-0 to storm back into fourth place, Simao and Diego Forlan playing a starring role.
The most exciting match of the weekend took place in Huelva, Recreativo riding on Florent Sinama-Pongolle's brace to beat Murcia 4-2.
Racing Santander drop into seventh after losing 2-1 to Murcia, while Athletic Bilbao were leading Betis by a similar scoreline before the game was called off. In the remaining game, Osasuna put in a solid display to pick up a draw away to Valladolid.
This week's best line up in a 3-4-3 with no represntatives from Barcelona, Real Madrid or Valencia.
Goalkeeper
Diego Lopez (Villarreal): An absolutely earth-shattering display from the former Real Madrid man. The kind of form he was in, Zaragoza could have played for another 90 minutes and not scored.
Defender
Pulido (Almeria): The former Getafe man's dominance frustrated Barcelona, and his wonderfully taken header hurt the Catalans just when they looked set to take charge. Was not to blame for the two goals conceded.
Cruchaga (Osasuna): The 33-year-old put in a fine display against Valladolid, dominating everything in the air to keep the home side's barrage from resulting in a goal. Earned his side a valuable point.
Lopo (Deportivo): There was not enough service for Raul and Soldado, but what little there was came to nothing thanks to an assured display from the former Espanyol man, who is finally showing some consistency this season. He is supposed to be another one of the players being watched by a certain Juande Ramos.
Midfielders
Simao (Atletico Madrid): A man of the match display against Levante, chipping in with goals and assists to take his team back into the top four. Arguably his best showing in an Atletico shirt yet.
Corona (Almeria): Born Miguel Ángel García Pérez Roldan, the 27-year-old was, in short, the man who brought about Barcelona's downfall. Every single time he sent a ball into the Barca box, there was panic. Has been the corner-stone of Almeria's dominance from set-pieces this season, and has perhaps not received enough credit.
De Guzman (Deportivo): Was all over the Real Madrid midfielders, giving Guti no time, and Sneijder no space. Not a surprise then than there was practically no creativity from Los Merengues. Won every 50-50 tackle in the middle of the pitch, and has been in terrifying form for almost a month now.
Lafita (Deportivo): The Zaragoza-owned winger was rampant every single time he had the ball. Skinned Heinze on one flank and moved to the other side and skinned Miguel Torres. The race for his signature is hotting up.
Strikers
Fabiano (Sevilla): Scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season, the first of them with an absolutely stunning free-kick, to set up Sevilla's domineering win over Valencia at the Mestalla.
Forlan (Atletico Madrid): When he strikes, Atleti win. It is as simple as that. He may have scored with simple tap-ins, but it is all about popping up in the right places at the right times.
Nihat (Villarreal): One of those evenings when everything the Turk touched turned to gold. Displaying mobility that reminded one of his Real Sociedad days, he toyed with Roberto Ayala and Paredes, splitting the Zaragoza defence open at will.
Diego Lopez
Cruchaga Pulido Lopo
Lafita Corona De Guzman Simao
Fabiano Forlan Nihat
Luis Garcia got himself another brace to lead Espanyol past Mallorca, while Florent Sinama-Pongolle's double guided Recreativo his four past Murcia.
In midfield, Almeria's Felipe Melo made Xavi look surprisingly ordinary, while Villarreal's Marcos Senna performed superbly against Peter Luccin, winning the midfield battle and dictating play. Sevilla must once again thank the ever improving Diego Capel for his creativity, while Deportivo's Christian Wilhelmsson also impressed against Real Madrid.
Between the posts, Espanyol's Lafuente put in a quality display. Recre defender Poli had a great game against Murcia, while Atletico's Mariano Pernia was hugely involved in his team's 3-0 win.
See Also
