Rival watch: Atlético and Real Madrid respond with wins

No change at the top of the Liga table as Athletic Bilabo and Villarreal are beaten by Barça's fellow title contenders on Wednesday night

Barça stormed to 8-0 victory against Deportivo on Wednesday night to keep their Liga title defence alive and kicking. The three points confirmed that they will stay top of the table with just four games left to play, but on the same night as the spectacular exploits at Riazor, both Atlético and Real Madrid also picked wins to keep up the pressure on the leaders.

A header from Fernando Torres meant Atlético, who dealt expertly with the absence of the injured Godin, picked up a 1-0 win in one of the hardest games left on their schedule, Athletic Bilbao away.

And Real Madrid also came good against fourth placed Villarreal. After a slow start, Benzema broke the deadlock four minutes before the break and Lucas Vázquez and Modric made it 3-0 in the second half.

It all means that Barça and Atlético remain tied on points, although the Catalans benefit from their superior head-to-head record, while Real Madrid stay a point behind the frontrunners.

Here's a reminder of what's left for the three title contenders in the last four weeks of the league season:

from News at FCB http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/rival-watch-atletico-and-real-madrid-respond-with-wins