Barcelona did not enjoy their weekend, losing 2-1 to Real Madrid in El Clasico. Los Rojiblancos, on the other hand, were held to a 1-1 draw.

Another round of fixtures have come and gone by in La Liga, serving us some interesting weekend results. Real Madrid and Barcelona locked horns in El Clasico on Sunday, this Matchday's standout fixture, with Los Blancos winning that tie 2-1 to leapfrog the Blaugrana and to make up crucial ground in the title race. League leaders Atletico Madrid continued their 2021 slump, dropping points once again, this time drawing 1-1 with Real Betis to move only a point above Zidane's side. Sevilla capitalized on Real Sociedad's 2-2 draw with Valencia to strengthen their grip on a UEFA Champions League spot, beating Celta Vigo 4-3 to move four points clear. As for La Real, they are now level on points with sixth-placed Real Betis and are only one above seventh-placed Villarreal. Here's everything you need to know about the recent round of fixtures.

Top five teams in La Liga until April 18, 2021

La Liga, Atletico, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Standings 

La Liga top 3 scorers

Messi went through another edition of El Clasico without scoring – more on that later – but remains in the driving seat in the Pichichi race. Benzema, who scored an exquisite strike in the 2-1 triumph over Barcelona, moved level with Gerard Moreno on 19 goals.

Lionel Messi, Gerard Moreno, Karim Benzema, Pichichi, La Liga 

La Liga – top headline 

  • Messi was unable to score in El Clasico, stretching his unwanted goalscoring drought against Real Madrid across all competitions to seven match. This is his worst run against Los Blancos. Ironically, the Argentine has not found the back of the net since Cristiano's departure from the Bernabeu.

  • Atletico Madrid's slump continues. The league leaders drew 1-1 with Real Betis on Sunday, meaning they have won only four of their last 11 La Liga fixtures. Simeone's men have only picked up 17 points from an available 33 since January 2021 and are thus in danger of bottling the title.

  • Jesus Navas reached an excellent feat in Sevilla's 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo as the Spaniard recorded his 200th La Liga win. For reference, no player in Los Hispalenses history has achieved this.

Top matches to watch in La Liga: Apr. 18, 2021

Atletico vs Eibar: Simeone's men return to action on Sunday and this would be the perfect opportunity to return to winning ways. Eibar are bottom of the league and should thus be an easy test for the table-toppers. However, should something horrible go wrong and Los Rojiblancos lose this fixture, it would do more harm to their title bid than just the three points lost.

Getafe vs Real Madrid: Barcelona won't be in action as they will be facing Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey final this weekend. As a result, Real Madrid have the golden opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Blaugrana, albeit temporarily. Getafe are closer to the relegation zone than they would like but Zidane's men must be cautious nonetheless.

*Keep track of all the activity in the Spanish top-flight by following our dedicated La Liga competition page.