Sevilla FC slipped deeper into trouble in the relegation battle after suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Real Oviedo on Sunday.
The loss left Sevilla sitting 17th in the table, only two points above the drop zone, and marked a difficult start for new coach Luis García Plaza, who took charge after the dismissal of Matías Almeyda during the international break.
Sevilla have now lost three consecutive league matches and have managed only one win in their last nine outings. The club had been 15th when Almeyda was dismissed.
Oviedo claimed the crucial victory thanks to a 32nd-minute strike from Federico Viñas.
The home side also benefited from Sevilla being reduced to 10 men after defender Tanguy Nianzou was shown a straight red card in the 39th minute.
The win was Oviedo’s second in their last three league matches and kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation. They remain bottom of the table with 24 points, seven behind Sevilla.
Meanwhile, Getafe CF strengthened their push for European football next season with a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Luis Vázquez opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Martín Satriano wrapped up the result late on.
Getafe remained eighth with 41 points, level with seventh-placed Real Sociedad and three ahead of Espanyol in ninth.
Athletic’s poor run continued as they fell to a fourth defeat in five matches across all competitions. Their only recent victory came against Real Betis before the international break.
Elsewhere, Celta Vigo ended a three-match winless streak by coming from behind to beat Valencia CF 3-2.
Guido Rodríguez had given Valencia the lead in the 12th minute, but Celta responded in the second half through goals from Ilaix Moriba, Fer López and Williot Swedberg. Rodríguez grabbed another goal deep into stoppage time, but it was not enough for Valencia.
The win lifted Celta into sixth place, while Valencia slipped to 13th after winning four of their previous six league games.
At the top of the table, FC Barcelona extended their lead after fighting back to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 away on Saturday, while Real Madrid were beaten 2-1 by RCD Mallorca.
Barcelona now hold a seven-point advantage over Madrid after 30 matches, while third-placed Villarreal CF are set to face Girona FC on Monday.
