Every Day Is Zlatan Day

The table: 

Results: Atlético Madrid 2-0 Sevilla. Atlético have kept three clean sheets in the last four and have held an opponent to zero shots on target twice in that span. I tipped Yannick Carrasco to notch 15 league goals this season; he’s got three already.

Alavés 1-2 Real Madrid. At least Alavés finally scored a goal, right? Unfortunately for them, Dani Ceballos scored two, his first career doblete. Considering that apparently everyone is out to get them, this was a Herculean effort from Real Madrid.

Málaga 3-3 Athletic Club. Monster result for 10-man Málaga, perhaps granting Míchel a stay of managerial execution. Athletic, up 3-1 with 10 minutes to go, should have had this one, especially after the Aritz Aduriz-Iker Muniain-Iñaki Williams trio created all three goals.

Girona 0-3 Barcelona. Girona had a decent chance in this one, as Montilivi is an emergent fortress and Lionel Messi was man-marked and somewhat mortal. Instead, they went and scored two own goals. Oh well. Barcelona remain perfect.

Espanyol 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña. I think Pepe Mel’s days are numbered. Espanyol are a total bore and still crushed a Depor side that desperately needs leadership at the back and stability in midfield. Gerard Moreno scored twice — what a fine all-around #9 he’s becoming.

GOAL OF THE WEEKEND ALERT: You’ve gotta see this goal from Celso Borges. What a finish. (Keep the video muted, though. Bad EDM lurks.)

Getafe 4-0 Villarreal. One of LaLiga’s more impressive sides through six weeks, Getafe put a second half hammering on a Champions League hopeful. Their defensive structure is sound, they have a strong counterattack, they score beautifully weird goals. This result ended Fran Escribá’s year-long stint at El Madrigal/La Cerámica.

Eibar 0-4 Celta Vigo. Eibar have been hit for 3+ goals on three separate occasions this season. Not good. Pione Sisto IS good, however, as he scored from a loooong free kick and assisted two other goals. The 22-year-old winger is finding a home in new coach Unzué’s system.

Las Palmas 0-2 Leganés. Guess who’s conceded the second-fewest goals in LaLiga through six weeks? That’s right, little Leganés. And thanks to performances like this one from midfield anchor Rubén Pérez (84 percent pass completion, 12 tackles, four interceptions), the cucumber growers may yet find a way to stay up again.

Real Sociedad 2-3 Valencia. The game of the weekend. Two red cards, top-notch goals (watch Nacho Vidal and Mikel Oyarzabal in particular), Valencia win at Anoeta for the first time in seven years because Simone Zaza apparently can’t be stopped anymore. It was so good, Marcelino pulled his hamstring celebrating.

Real Betis 4-0 Levante. Betis followed up a stunning win at the Santiago Bernabéu with an evisceration of previously-unbeaten Levante. Tony Sanabria scored twice; Quique Setién’s found his center-forward.