There is no point pretending otherwise, the Primera Liga has all but been decided.
As recently as last week, Pep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, was stating emphatically that, "Real Madrid won't drop points" at home. He was speaking ahead of Barca's visit to the Bernabeu later this month, the result of which would be paramount in deciding the destiny of the league title.
Guardiola was setting himself up for the challenge of travelling to Madrid to win the title, just as Barca have done in the past two seasons. And it is a challenge.
Real had won every home game this season in all competitions -14 consecutive victories in the league, four in the Copa Del Rey to set up an April 20 final with Barca and four in the Champions League. That is 22 straight wins, a run which only seriously looked to be challenge with Barca's visit.
On Saturday night, Real were expected to beat Sporting Gijon and narrow the gap on Barcelona - who faced a tricky game at Villarreal. If Barca lost and Real won, then Jose Mourinho's side would only have to beat the Catalans to go above them. Simple? Not really.
Despite Real missing Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Marcelo, their most potent attacking players who were either injured or being rested for tonight's Champions League game with Tottenham Hotspur, nobody expected mid-table Sporting, who had won just once away all season, to do anything but lose.
True to form, Real dominated and had chance after chance. Sporting, as expected, defended brilliantly as if their lives were at threat. With 11 minutes to play and the score still at 0-0, the inspired Asturians left their own half and Miguel de la Cuevas struck a shot which grazed the inside of a post to beat Iker Casillas and win the game.
Real fans left the Bernabeu in droves well before the final whistle knowing the title race was all but over with eight games to play. Barca won 1-0 at Villarreal in a match which kicked off as Real's finished, to go eight points clear at the top.
"Football is football," said Mourinho after the defeat, his first at home as a manager in nine years. "We had many chances to score one, two, three, four and five metres away from target.
"Sporting defended, defended and defended ... and then they scored a goal. We had six chances on goal, but we were unlucky. That's football for you."
There was some joy with the return of Gonzalo Higuain in a Real shirt after a five-month absence. The Argentine striker is needed for his side's Champions League and Copa Del Rey endeavours rather than the league where Barca will surely be crowned Spanish champions for a third successive year under Guardiola.
With a 16-point gap between them and third-placed Valencia, Real will finish second once again - not good enough for most fans, but a blow which will be cushioned if they win the cup or Champions League.
Valencia and Villarreal occupy the third and fourth Champions League spots. Fifth-placed Sevilla are nine points off a Champions League position - a gap that is unlikely to be overcome making the battle for the two Europa League spots intriguing.
Four teams: Sevilla, Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and holders Atletico Madrid are all in contention with only three points separating them. Mallorca and in-form Levante sit four points behind that group.
Levante were 19th in January but have pulled well clear of the relegation zone, the fight to stay up being fought by four teams: seemingly doomed Almeria, big-spending Qatar-owned Malaga, plummeting Hercules and perennial under achievers Zaragoza.
Gijon were in danger of slipping into that group, but any team which win at the Bernabeu deserve to stay up - not that Mourinho will necessarily agree with such sentiments.
