The La Liga title race was blown open this weekend as Real Madrid won the first Clasico of the season against Barcelona at the Bernabeu.
Barca took a fourth-minute lead through Neymar in the Spanish capital, but goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Karim Benzema secured a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.
As a result, Real Madrid moved to within one point of league leaders Barcelona, while there are now just two points between first and fifth in the league following wins for Sevilla, Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
The week's action started on Friday evening, with Celta Vigo continuing their strong start to the season with a 3-0 win over struggling Levante.
Athletic Bilbao recorded a much-needed three points against Almeria in the early start on Saturday, before Valencia beat Elche 3-1 after the drama of El Clasico.
The night's action concluded with two 1-1 draws, as Cordoba held Real Sociedad and Eibar secured a home point against Granada.
On Sunday, Malaga opened with a 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, before Deportivo La Coruna secured a goalless draw away to Espanyol.
Sevilla scored twice in the latter stages to beat Villarreal 2-1 in the penultimate match of the weekend, with Unai Emery's side moving into second as a result.
Champions Atletico also kept pace with the leading pack after beating 10-man Getafe 1-0 in what was an ill-tempered affair on Sunday.
Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers from week nine in Spain's leading division.
Fabricio (Deportivo La Coruna)
The 26-year-old made last week's team after a fine performance against Valencia and the goalkeeper was again in strong form this weekend. Deportivo did not take all three points this time around, but Fabricio's performances between the sticks helped the newly-promoted side gain a point from Espanyol.
Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia)
The 22-year-old opened the scoring as Valencia beat Elche 3-1 at the Mestalla on Saturday. However, it was the German's overall performance that gains him a spot in this XI. The centre-back was calm in possession of the ball and aerially dominant during the La Liga encounter.
Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Godin needed to be at his best as Atletico held on for a 1-0 win over Getafe on Sunday. The Spanish champions came under siege in the latter stages of the contest, but the Uruguay international remained a rock in central defence.
Pepe (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese defender scored Real Madrid's second of the match in Saturday's Clasico after meeting a corner from Toni Kroos. The centre-back also put on a strong defensive performance, helping nullify the threat of the Barcelona attack.
Denis Suarez (Sevilla)
The on-loan Barcelona attacker scored the first of Sevilla's two late goals in Sunday's 2-1 win over Villarreal. The Spaniard caused the Yellow Submarine problems with his tricky style, while he made the biggest of contributions in the latter stages.
Dani Parejo (Valencia)
The 25-year-old's performances have been a real highlight for Valencia this season and his brilliant form continued this weekend. The Spaniard scored his side's second in the 3-1 win over Elche, who had no answer to the midfielder's quality in central positions.
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
The German is finally starting to settle following a slow start to his Real Madrid career. Alongside Luka Modric, he controlled the midfield area in El Clasico, with his passing and ability from set pieces both terrific.
Nordin Amrabat (Malaga)
The Turkish international scored one and provided two assists in Malaga's 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Rayo struggled to deal with the pace and invention of the midfielder, who ran the show at La Rosaleda.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
The Frenchman put in a performance of the highest order in Saturday's Clasico at the Bernabeu. Barcelona just could not deal with the striker's movement in the final third, while he scored Real Madrid's third with a brilliant finish.
Mario Mandzukic (Atletico Madrid)
Mandzukic proved the difference as Atletico won narrowly at Getafe on Sunday. The Croatian was also the victim of a cowardly elbow from Alexis, but he dusted himself off and continued to relish the physical battle.
Joaquin Larrivey (Celta Vigo)
The 30-year-old continued his brilliant start to the season with a double in Celta's 3-0 win over Levante on Friday evening. The Argentine moved to Vigo on a free transfer in the summer and has impressed for his new club this term.
Matt Law
