MADRID, April 19: After seeing rivals gradually cut into its lead, Atlético Madrid finally got some breathing room at the top of the Spanish league.
Atlético ended its winless run by routing last-place Eibar 5-0, then saw city rival Real Madrid held 0-0 by Getafe. Those results gave Atlético a three-point lead over second-place Madrid, and a five-point cushion over third-place Barcelona, which has a game in hand.
Madrid had moved within a point of the lead after beating Barcelona in the previous round.
Ángel Correa and Marcos Llorente scored two goals each and Yannick Carrasco added another as Atlético routed Eibar at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Correa broke the deadlock with a goal from close range in the 42nd minute, then quickly added to the lead after a nice turn to clear a defender inside the area in the 44th. Carrasco scored the third goal in a breakaway in the 49th, then Llorente got the fourth from inside the box in the 53rd and the fifth from close range in the 68th. Eibar’s winless streak in the league reached 14 consecutive matches.
Huesca lost 1-0 at Alavés on Sunday after conceding in the 85th.
Missing some of its top players, Real Madrid struggled against Getafe and needed a good performance by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to avoid an even more disappointing result. Zidane rested some of his regular starters, including Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema. Madrid had a goal by forward Mariano Díaz disallowed for offside less than 10 minutes into the match.
Sevilla won 2-1 at Real Sociedad to move within a point of third-place Barcelona, practically securing the final Champions League spot. Sevilla has a 15-point gap over fifth-place Villarreal. Sociedad took the lead through Carlos Fernández in the fifth minute, but Sevilla rallied with goals by Fernando in the 22nd and Youssef En-Nesyri in the 24th.
Villarreal routed regional rival Levante 5-1, with Nigerian midfielder Samu Chukwueze scoring a pair of second-half goals for the visitors.
Betis drew 2-2 at home against Valencia, while Cádiz and Celta Vigo played to a 0-0 draw. Midtable Osasuna beat relegation-threatened Elche 2-0. (AP)
