A penalty converted by Messi, an own goal by Jordi and a proper goal from Messi gave Barcelona an unconvincing 3-1 win over bottom club Real Betis, Castro replying for the visitors.
Illaramendi, Bale, Pepe and Morata steered a Ronaldoless Real Madrid to a 0-4 win over Real Sociedad, keeping their title hopes alive. It’s Atlético by one point from Barcelona, with Real in third, three points adrift of their city rivals.