Atletico were 4-0 winners over rivals Real, going 2-0 up in the 18th minute at the Vicente Calderon before second-half strikes to Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic.
Tiago and Saul scored four minutes apart early, the latter an early substitute for the injured Koke, and he produced a bicycle kick to double Atletico's lead.
Griezmann tried a bicycle kick of his own early in the second half with less success, but Saul eventually assisted the France forward for Atletico's third - Griezmann poking home in the 67th minute.
A Mandzukic header from Fernando Torres' cross capped Atletico's rout late on.
Villarreal moved level on points with Valencia in fifth, courtesy of a 2-0 home win over Granada - the latter sitting second-bottom after Levante's success.
Imanol Agirretxe's eighth-minute opener was cancelled out late by Celta's Nolito in the 85th minute, keeping the latter two points ahead of Sociedad.
