Alvaro Negredo came off the bench to head in the decisive goal as Valencia beat his old club Almeria 3-2.
Valencia had seen first-half goals by Dani Parejo and Rodrigo Moreno cancelled out by two strikes from Almeria's top scorer Tomer Hemed and looked to be heading for a third successive game without a win until Negredo sent a header crashing into the net with seven minutes left.
Winning this game in such dramatic fashion will be a shot in the arm to Nuno Espirito Santo's side after exiting the Copa del Rey to Espanyol in midweek, and they remain well in the race for a Champions League spot after picking up the three points.
Former Manchester United striker Manucho struck late for Rayo Vallecano to secure a 1-0 win and inflict a first home defeat on Real Sociedad manager David Moyes.
Paco Jemez's side had been second best for large periods of the game, but the Angola international headed in a corner in the 81st minute to give the Madrid side a second win in three matches.
The fact his side had performed well will be scant consolation for Moyes, and the former Manchester United manager has just two wins to his name after eight league games in charge of the Basques.
Villarreal got their bid for a top-four finish back on track with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Athletic Bilbao.
An expertly-taken first-half goal from Denis Cheryshev put the hosts on course for a first league win of the year and Bruno Soriano's late penalty put the result beyond doubt.
Victory helped Villarreal bounce back from successive league draws, albeit away from home, which had dampened their Champions League challenge. Opponents Athletic offered little and could have no complaints over slumping to a fourth straight league loss which has left them looking over their shoulders.
In the late match, Espanyol beat Celta Vigo 1-0 thanks to a 90th-minute strike from substitute Felipe Caicedo.
The Ecuador international also scored twice in the last 11 minutes as Espanyol knocked Valencia out of the Copa del Rey in midweek.