Marco Asensio's strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol to send them top of La Liga and Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday. Julen Lopetegui's Real were tested by Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Borja Iglesias hitting the crossbar, but held on for the victory.
After an emphatic Champions League win over AS Roma on Wednesday, Lopetegui shuffled his pack for the visit of Espanyol, sixth in the table after a good start to the season. The coach rested Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Toni Kroos, handing a debut to defender Alvaro Odriozola in place of the injured Dani Carvajal.
Real dominated possession but Espanyol were a persistent threat on the break. Atletico's comfortable victory at Getafe eased nerves after a stuttering start to the season during which they gathered five points from their first four games. Villarreal earned a 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad thanks to Leo Suarez's equaliser in the final minute of stoppage time while Eibar edged Leganes 1-0.