A ninth minute goal from Higuaín was enough for Real Madrid to beat Real Sociedad 0-1 on Saturday evening and move to the top of the table pending Sunday’s games.
Barcelona trounced Mallorca 5-0, Lionel Messi helping himself to a first half hat-trick with Isaac Cuenca and Dani Alves also getting their names on the scoresheet.
Valencia consolidated fourth spot with a 3-1 win over Getafe, two goals from Feghouli and one from Aduríz doing the damage. Diego Castro was the scorer for Getafe.
Villarreal climbed out of the relegation zone after a 2-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, Bruno and Borja Velero the scorers.