MADRID, Feb. 1 -- Real Madrid opened up a six-point lead over FC Barcelona, who play on Sunday, in the Liga Santander as they beat neighbors Atletico Madrid 1-0 night in the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
It was Real Madrid's first home win in the league against their neighbors since 2017 and came thanks to Karim Benzema's 55th minute goal after a pass from Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid were able to take advantage of a series of injuries in an Atletico side who arrived at the Bernabeu with injuries, but Atletico were the better side in the first half and should have had a penalty after a foul by Casemiro on Alvaro Morata wasn't given.
Morata joined Atletico's injury list just after the break and Benzema netted the only goal of the game in the 55th minute as Atletico once again paid for their failures in front of goal, while their neighbors showed they need just one chance to win.
Valencia moved into the top-four ahead of Sunday's games thanks to a Carlos Soler goal 13 minutes from time that gave them a 1-0 win in an entertaining game at home to Celta Vigo.
Celta paid for a lack of confidence in front of goal and the result leaves them in the bottom three for another week.
Espanyol remain bottom of the table after losing 2-1 away to Granada. Raul de Tomas put Espanyol ahead from the penalty spot, but Granada turned the result around with a goal from Darwin Machis in the 38th minute and Carlos Fernandez's winner in the first minute of the second half.
Meanwhile Mallorca's troubles increased while Valladolid took a big step towards safety after Enes Unal's 58th minute goal separated the two teams in Mallorca's Son Moix Stadium.