Diego Costa struck for Atletico Madrid to earn them a 1-0 win over Granada.
Costa headed Jose Sosa's cross past Granada keeper Roberto to ensure Atletico moved one point clear of Barcelona, who slipped to second, and three clear of capital city rivals Real Madrid, who lost 2-1 at Sevilla.
The Vicente Calderon faithful were left to sweat for the breakthrough against their mid-table opponents, though, with the Spain striker scoring in the 63rd minute.
The result in Madrid, and the shock final score in Sevilla, was almost the perfect outcome for Atletico and manager Diego Simeone, who assumed narrow in control of the title race with eight league games remaining.
