Barcelona lost, Getafe fired their manager, and all three teams fighting to escape the drop zone won matches. Just another round in La Liga.
It was another interesting round of action in Spain as the title race once again took an unexpected turn, all three teams in the drop zone won matches and a manager lost his job.
At the top, Real Madrid remained in first place thanks to their victory over Levante but the team in their rear-view mirror changed as Barcelona suffered a shocking defeat against 18th placed Real Valladolid. Thanks to that result, Atlético Madrid jumped into second place, three points behind Madrid at the top. Barca's loss knocked them down to third, four points out of first.
Getafe parted ways with head coach Luis Garcia after the team lost against last placed Real Betis. It was Getafe's 12th straight match without a victory and the team's board decided it was time to make a move in an attempt to avoid relegation.
Athletic Bilbao was held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia but thanks to loses by Villarreal and Real Sociedad, they held on their their firm grip on fourth place and the final Champions League spot. They now lead the Yellow Submarine by seven points, while La Real have dropped eight points back.
At the bottom of the league table Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano and Real Valladolid -- all three teams in the drop zone -- won their matches this round. Betis is still in real trouble, eight points adrift in last place but Valladolid's win over Barcelona moved them out of the relegation spots, ahead of Almeria on goal differential. Valladolid, Rayo and Almeria all have 26 points.
Here's a full recap of the results from round 27 in La Liga.
Real Valladolid 1-0 Barcelona
Real Betis 2-0 Getafe
Celta Vigo 0-2 Atlético Madrid
Granada 2-0 Villarreal
Espanyol 3-1 Elche
Almeria 1-3 Sevilla
Real Madrid 3-0 Levante
Valencia 1-1 Athletc Bilbao