The top four in La Liga all won this weekend, but Valencia's stuttering form continued as Los Che dropped four points off the pace in the fight for the final Champions League position.
Real Madrid made it 18 consecutive wins in all competitions with a 3-0 win at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday, with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting a record-breaking 23rd La Liga hat-trick.
Atletico Madrid also kept pace at the top with a routine 2-0 win at Elche, before Lionel Messi struck his third hat-trick in four games as Barcelona came from behind to beat Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
Sevilla, meanwhile, continued their strong form with a narrow 1-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano to move just three points behind third-place Atletico after 14 games of the season.
Cordoba also recorded their first league win of the season away to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, before Malaga continued their impressive run of form with a 1-0 victory at struggling Deportivo La Coruna.
David Moyes tasted his first defeat as Real Sociedad boss on Sunday as his side went down 4-0 at Villarreal. Valencia, meanwhile, conceded late on at Granada to drop two vital points.
Week 14's action concluded on Monday evening, with Eibar recording an incredible 5-2 win over Almeria - who sacked their manager Franciso following the result - before Levante and Getafe played out a 1-1 draw in Valencia.
Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star players following another week of pulsating La Liga football.
Carlos Kameni (Malaga)
Given the gloves this season following Willy Caballero's departure, Kameni has been excellent during Malaga's strong start to the season. The stopper was called into action on a number of occasions against Deportivo on Saturday and he made a host of crucial saves - including one from the penalty spot.
Aleksandar Pantic (Cordoba)
Defensively, Cordoba have not exactly covered themselves in glory this season, but they kept a clean sheet in Saturday's 1-0 win at Bilbao. At the forefront of their strong display was Pantic, who made a number of crucial challenges at San Mames.
Nicolas Pareja (Sevilla)
Another solid weekend for the Argentine, who helped Sevilla keep a clean sheet in Sunday's 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano. The hosts forced the issue in the latter stages of the contest, but Pareja remained rock solid at the heart of the defence.
Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
Continues to impress at the heart of the Atletico defence in place of the absent Miranda. The Uruguay international was once again defensively sound against Elche on Saturday, while he opened the scoring with a spectacular finish in the first period.
Jeison Murillo (Granada)
Granada were made to suffer for long spells of their clash with Valencia on Sunday, but they scored late on to secure a point on their own patch. It was a performance based on a solid defence and Murillo was the star of the show.
Bruno Soriano (Villarreal)
Was not credited with Villarreal's first in their 4-0 win over Sociedad, but the midfielder's stunning free kick brought about the opener. The Spanish international completely controlled the tempo of the match from a central position at El Madrigal.
Sergi Darder (Malaga)
Has been key in Malaga's strong start to the season. The Spaniard scored the decisive goal as Malaga beat Deportivo 1-0 on Saturday. Aside from his goal, Darder's range of passing was excellent. The 20-year-old is getting better with each passing week.
Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal)
Seems to finally be finding his best form after a stuttering couple of seasons. The Russian scored Villarreal's second in their 4-0 win over Sociedad, before setting up Moi Gomez late on. The assist was Cheryshev's seventh in the league this season.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Made it three hat-tricks in his last four matches with a treble in Sunday's 5-1 win over Espanyol. Barcelona struggled in the first half at the Camp Nou, but Messi pulled his team through. It was just a stunning performance from the Argentine once again.
Nabil Ghilas (Cordoba)
The on-loan Porto striker has been the main positive for Cordoba this season and the 24-year-old's strike against Bilbao secured his loan side's first three points of the season. The Algerian's pace and clever movement caused all sorts of problems at San Mames.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Hit a record-breaking 23rd La Liga hat-trick on Saturday as Real Madrid continued their winning run with a 3-0 success at home to Celta Vigo. The visitors just could not deal with the Portuguese, who has netted an incredible 23 league goals in just 13 matches this season.
Matt Law
