Real Madrid returned to the LaLiga summit as Carlo Ancelotti’s men came from behind to win 2-1 at Las Palmas.
Having fallen behind to Javier Munoz’s 53rd-minute goal, Real – without the suspended Jude Bellingham – hit back with Vinicius Junior equalising before Aurelien Tchouameni notched the winner with six minutes of normal time remaining.
A fifth successive league win for Los Blancos sees them move two points above Girona, who play at Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Third-placed Barcelona are 10 points off the top after two stoppage-time Villarreal goals saw the champions beaten 5-3 in a thrilling contest at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Trailing 2-0 via efforts either side of the break from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, Barca suddenly turned things around with strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and an Eric Bailly own goal in quick succession.
Villarreal then brought the score back level through Goncalo Guedes’ 84th-minute finish, before Alexander Sorloth and Jose Luis Morales added goals deep into stoppage time to complete a stunning comeback from the visitors and make it it back-to-back defeats for Xavi’s men, beaten 4-2 after extra time at Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich are two points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen having won 3-2 at Augsburg.
Teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic, with his first Bayern goal, and Alphonso Davies put the visitors in command at the interval.
Harry Kane’s 23rd Bundesliga goal, sandwiched between a Ermedin Demirovic double, eventually proved the difference.
Leverkusen subsequently dropped points as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Borussia Monchengladbach.
Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad: Blaugrana back to winning ways to reclaim second spot
Barcelona reclaimed second place in LaLiga with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad on Monday courtesy of a Lamine Yamal first-half strike and a late Raphinha penalty.
Yamal put Barcelona ahead in the 40th minute when he coolly slotted home from Ilkay Gundogan's pass after a quick breakaway for his fifth LaLiga goal this season.
Raphinha's penalty in stoppage time sealed victory for the hosts after a VAR review for handball, leaving the Basque side in seventh place with 54 points, one behind Real Betis in the last Europa League spot.
Xavi's side leapfrogged Girona to move on to 76 points, one clear of their Catalan rivals who dropped points in Friday's 2-2 draw at Alaves.
Real Madrid have already secured the league title, sitting on 90 points with three games left.
Data Debrief:
Gundogan got a vital assist for Barcelona's opener, and has been involved in 193 open-play shot-ending sequences in LaLiga this season, more than any other player in the competition.
Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in both games against Real Sociedad in LaLiga 2023-24 (W2), achieving this in a single season of the competition for the first time since 2006-07, when they also beat them twice.
Giroud leaving Milan to join MLS at end of season
Olivier Giroud announced he will be leaving Milan to join the MLS at the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Frenchman joined the club in July 2021 from Chelsea, winning the Serie A title in his first season.
Giroud has scored 48 goals in 130 games in all competitions for Milan, netting 16 of those this season to help them to a second-place finish.
In an emotional interview with the club’s media channels, Giroud said: "I'm here to tell you that the next two games will be my last for Milan. My career will continue in MLS.
"I'm very proud of everything I've done here at Milan across three seasons. It's the right time to announce it. I'm a bit emotional. My story with Milan ends this season, but Milan will forever remain in my heart."
Though Giroud did not confirm which team he would be joining in the MLS, previous reports suggested he could be moving to LAFC to link up with his France international team-mate, Hugo Lloris.
Giroud leaving Milan at end of season to join MLS
Olivier Giroud announced he will be leaving Milan to join the MLS at the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Frenchman joined the club in July 2021 from Chelsea, winning the Serie A title in his first season.
Giroud has scored 48 goals in 130 games in all competitions for Milan, netting 16 of those this season to help them to a second-place finish.
In an emotional interview with the club’s media channels, Giroud said: "I'm here to tell you that the next two games will be my last for Milan. My career will continue in MLS.
"I'm very proud of everything I've done here at Milan across three seasons. It's the right time to announce it. I'm a bit emotional. My story with Milan ends this season, but Milan will forever remain in my heart."
Though Giroud did not confirm which team he would be joining in the MLS, previous reports suggested he could be moving to LAFC to link up with his France international team-mate, Hugo Lloris.
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