La Liga surprise package Girona beat Alaves to move back to the top of the table.
Artem Dovbyk headed in their opener after Yan Couto’s shot was parried by Alaves keeper Antonio Sivera.
Portu doubled their lead with a strike from near the edge of the area following a cross by Couto.
Manchester City loanee Couto then won a penalty, which Ukraine striker Dovbyk converted for his 10th La Liga goal of the season.
Dovbyk is thought to be the club’s record signing, having joined for a reported £6m from Dnipro in the summer.
Michel’s Girona, who are co-owned by the City Football Group that also includes Manchester City, are two points above Real Madrid.
The Catalan side, who have never won a major trophy, are nine points above neighbours Barcelona in third place.
Girona could seal top spot at Christmas – and the halfway point of the season – if they win at Real Betis on Thursday.
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Last 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Girona | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 44 | |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 11 | 27 | 42 | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 35 | |
| 4 | Atletico Madrid | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 34 | |
| 5 | Athletic Bilbao | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 32 | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 30 | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 27 | |
| 8 | Getafe | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 25 | |
| 9 | Las Palmas | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 25 | |
| 10 | Valencia | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 20 | |
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 17 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 20 | |
| 12 | Osasuna | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 26 | -7 | 19 | |
| 13 | Alaves | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 23 | -9 | 16 | |
| 14 | Villarreal | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 33 | -10 | 16 | |
| 15 | Real Mallorca | 17 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 15 | |
| 16 | Cadiz | 17 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 14 | |
| 17 | Sevilla | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 24 | -4 | 13 | |
| 18 | Celta Vigo | 17 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 25 | -9 | 13 | |
| 19 | Granada | 17 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 37 | -17 | 8 | |
| 20 | Almeria | 17 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 39 | -22 | 5 |
Last updated: December 18, 2023 9:55pm
