Substitute Kevin Gameiro scored a five-minute hat trick to give Atletico Madrid a 4-1 win at Sporting Gijon.
After a quiet first half, Atletico went ahead just seconds after the restart when Yannick Carrasco latched on to a flick-on and managed to get enough power on his shot to beat Sporting keeper Ivan Cuellar.
The lead did not last long, though, as Sergio Alvarez fired home on 49 minutes, with defender Stefan Savic unable to block the ball on the line.
Atletico initially struggled to muster a response and brought Gameiro on as a substitute for the ineffective Fernando Torres just after the hour mark.
They might have re-established their lead in the 75th minute when Antoine Griezmann was denied by a marginal offside call, but they were ahead five minutes later when the France international's neat assist allowed Gameiro to go through.
Gameiro added his second barely a minute later, sending the ball across Cuellar and into the far corner after Thomas had intercepted a sloppy defensive pass, and the former Sevilla striker added his third from a similar angle on 85 minutes.
The hat trick was the fastest in La Liga since David Villa's for Valencia in 2006.
Victory ensures Atletico will finish the weekend in fourth place.
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