Luis Suarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid won 4-2 at Cadiz, extending their lead at the top of La Liga to a yawning 10 points over second-placed Real Madrid.
The evergreen Uruguayan scored a goal in each half to reach a league-leading 14 goals this season, marking his best-ever league start in Spain, even better than when he was firing them in for Barcelona.
Suarez, who was let go by Barca at the end of last season, has now scored nine goals in his last eight matches with Atletico.
It was the eighth league win in a row for the leaders, who have reached the halfway mark of the season not just 10 points ahead of Real but also having a game in hand over their cross-city rivals.
Diego Simeone’s team have 50 points from 19 matches, remaining on pace for a 100-point season for the first time.
Suarez got his first in the 28th minute when he curled a free-kick over the wall from the edge of the area but Atletico’s lead was short-lived as Alvaro Negredo scored the equaliser seven minutes later with a curler from just inside the area.
A minute before halftime Saul Niguez flicked in a Thomas Lemar cross-shot past Jeremias Ledesma to make it 2-1.
Referee Jesus Gil then gave Cadiz a penalty after Koke’s handball in injury time of the first half but then overruled his own decision after reviewing the incident, deciding the ball had struck Koke’s arm as he used it to break his fall.
Suarez scored his second from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half after Marcos Mauro had bundled over Lemar but Negredo got his second for Cadiz in the 71st minute.
Jan Oblak had to save at close range from Cadiz’s Atletico loanee Ivan Saponjic as the home side pushed for the equaliser.
But Koke scored from Angel Correa’s assist in the 88th minute to seal the victory.