The top six in La Liga all won this weekend, with the battle for fourth shaping up to be just as fascinating as the title race in Spain's leading division.
Week 19's action started on Friday evening, with Eibar continuing their strong run of form with a 1-1 draw at an ever-improving Cordoba.
Rayo Vallecano opened Saturday's action with a surprise 1-0 win at Real Sociedad, before Valencia continued their strong run of form with a 3-2 victory over a spirited Almeria side.
Villarreal then made it 15 games unbeaten in all competitions with a 2-0 win over struggling Athletic Bilbao, before Espanyol kept their spot in the top half of the division with a last-minute winner against Celta Vigo.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice in Sunday's early start as Real Madrid beat Getafe 3-0. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona both responded, however, with the champions 2-0 winners at home to Granada, before Lionel Messi inspired Barca to a 4-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.
Sevilla regained fourth position on Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory at home to Malaga, while Elche moved out of the drop zone with a 1-0 win over Levante, who have dropped to 19th in the table.
Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers following another enthralling weekend of La Liga action.
Sergio Asenjo (Villarreal)
Villarreal beat Bilbao 2-0 on Saturday in what appeared to be a fairly routine win, but that was not the case. Bilbao had a number of chances throughout the contest, but found Asenjo in excellent form. The stopper frustrated Aritz Aduriz & Co. at El Madrigal.
Hector Moreno (Espanyol)
The Mexican international broke his leg at the 2014 World Cup, but he is now back to full fitness with Espanyol. Celta Vigo had a number of attacks in their trip to Barcelona on Saturday, but Moreno helped the home side record a 1-0 win. Clubs will be sniffing around this January.
Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Has played a major role in the development of Atletico and Uruguay teammate Jose Gimenez, while his own performances have remained at a high level. The defender won his side's penalty in their 2-0 win over Granada, while he was a tower of strength at the heart of the back four.
Sergio Pelegrin (Elche)
Elche moved out of the relegation zone on Sunday evening with a 1-0 win over Levante. The visitors pushed for a leveller late on, but the newly-promoted side managed to keep their clean sheet intact. At the forefront of their rear-guard display was 35-year-old Pelegrin.
James Rodriguez (Real Madrid)
Has struggled to rediscover his best form after picking up an injury last month, but the Colombian was just excellent this weekend. He set up both of Real Madrid's first two goals in their 3-0 win over Getafe, who really struggled to contain the attacker in forward areas.
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona)
The Croatian was in sensational form this weekend as he provided two assists in Barca's 4-0 win at Deportivo. The midfielder's form dipped following a strong start to the campaign, but he now looks in full flow once more. Rakitic appears on the same wavelength as Messi.
Roberto Trashorras (Rayo Vallecano)
Sociedad would have been expected to take maximum points from their home match with Rayo this weekend, but the capital outfit had other ideas. Paco Jemez's side secured all the points courtesy of a strike from Manucho, but it was Trashorras, who set up the winner, that really shone.
Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal)
The Russian, who is on loan at Villarreal from Real Madrid, has been in excellent form for the Yellow Submarine this season and he continued that this weekend. The attacker scored the home side's first in their 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao and helped create a number of chances.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese was frustrated for large chunks of Real Madrid's trip to Getafe on Sunday, but the Ballon d'Or came to the forefront in the second period – netting a double in the final 30 minutes. The brace in the Spanish capital took Ronaldo onto 28 league goals for the season.
Tomer Hemed (Almeria)
In truth, the 27-year-old was unfortunate to be on the losing side this weekend. The forward netted twice for Almeria at Valencia, but Alvaro Negredo secured all the points late on. Valencia have been solid at home this season, but they found Hemed very difficult to contain.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Watched Ronaldo score twice at Getafe on Sunday, before going one better at Deportivo. All three of Messi's goals were superb, but the third – a strike that arrowed into the bottom corner - was just about the best. Depor simply could not live with the attacker at the Riazor.
