Real Madrid cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to four points following a 2-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
Barcelona had stretched the gap to seven points after beating Almeria, but second-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez ensured that Los Blancos remained in the title hunt.
The defeat for Rayo, meanwhile, was their first in four matches and they remain ninth.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action.
Match statistics
RAYO
Shots: 20
On target: 8
Possession: 58%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 15
REAL MADRID
Shots: 17
On target: 5
Possession: 42%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
The statistics suggest that Rayo were desperately unlucky to lose in Madrid and that was indeed the case. The home side had more possession, more shots and indeed more attempts on target than Real Madrid, but suffered defeat. There was only really one team in the first period and it was Rayo that were on the front foot, with Manucho, Gael Kakuta and Adri Embarba all causing problems in the final third. The hosts could not make the breakthrough, however, and it was the type of game where the first goal was always going to be important. Had Rayo registered in the first period, it would have placed an entirely different complexion on the second period, but Real Madrid managed to soak up the first-half pressure and emerged much improved after the interval.
The visitors should have had a penalty early in the second half when Ronaldo was chopped down by Antonio Amaya, but the referee was not interested and instead booked the Portuguese. Real Madrid quickly picked up three more bookings as their frustration grew, but the breakthrough came after 68 minutes when Ronaldo headed home. Rayo continued to press forward, but they conceded a second just five minutes later when James found the bottom corner. The hosts should have added a consolation late on after creating a couple of excellent chances, but it just was not to be as they suffered a 14th straight defeat against Real Madrid. It was a cracking game and both teams contributed.
Rayo's performance
Rayo are not exactly a team that are scared to attack, especially at home, and they will have entered this match even more confident following a run of three straight league wins. Alberto Bueno is the top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga this season and the forward was selected in an XI that also included Manucho, Embarba and Kakuta - clear signs that head coach Paco Jemez would attack the visitors. That was indeed the case in the first period and on another night, Rayo would have been a couple of goals ahead at the break. As mentioned, Manucho caused havoc in the final third, while the skipper Roberto Trashorras had a wonderful chance, but saw his header saved by the excellent Iker Casillas.
The fact that Casillas had such a super game is credit to Rayo, who worked the goalkeeper on a number of occasions. It would be fair to say that they struggled to repeat the same intensity in the second period, but they managed eight attempts on goal and 20 in total, which is quite incredible against one of the best teams in European football. Rayo have been guilty of some poor defensive displays over the last couple of seasons, but both of Real Madrid's goals here were down to their own hard work, rather than poor defending from the hosts. Jemez can take plenty of positives from his side's performance, but they really should have added a late consolation when Tito found so much space in the box.
Real Madrid's performance
Having watched Barcelona stretch their lead at the summit to seven points earlier in the night, this become a must-win game for Real Madrid. As a result, Carlo Ancelotti decided against making changes, but Dani Carvajal did return at right-back. As mentioned, Ancelotti would have been concerned with what he saw in the first period, with Los Blancos struggling to make their mark in the final third and looking shaky down the other end. The visitors entered the match off the back of a 9-1 win over Granada at the weekend, however, and therefore would have been more than confident of finding the back of the net at some stage. As mentioned, they should have had a penalty early in the second period and in that minutes that followed, they picked up a host of bookings as the frustration grew.
Real Madrid were in control for long spells of the second half, however, and always offered the impression that they would make the breakthrough, with Ancelotti switching formation as Gareth Bale joined Ronaldo in a front two. The opener came from a super Carvajal cross, before James showed his excellence with a smart finish into the bottom corner. Rayo remained a threat late on and certainly unnerved Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, but as mentioned, Casillas had a super game between the sticks and kept their clean sheet intact. It was far from a vintage performance from the visitors, but they managed to record three vital points against their rivals.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Iker Casillas: Casillas has had a lot of stick over the last 12 months, but he deserves a lot of credit here. The Real Madrid stopper made a number of excellent saves in Madrid, with his standout moment occurring in the first half when he somehow kept out a point-blank header from Trashorras. Without the Spanish international, Real Madrid would not have ended this game with a clean sheet.
Biggest gaffe
Referee Mario Melero had an absolute horror early in the second half when he booked Ronaldo for going down inside the Rayo box. The official adjudged that the Portuguese had attempted to buy a penalty and as a result, made more of a challenge from Amaya. However, replays clearly showed that Ronaldo had been chopped down by the Rayo defender and it was a poor decision from the referee.
Referee performance
As mentioned above, Melero got the game's major decision wrong. It was a busy night for the Spaniard in Madrid - issuing nine yellow cards during a derby that certainly had a touch of spice. For the most part, Melero allowed the game to flow in the correct areas, but it is difficult to look past the penalty incident.
What next?
Rayo: The capital outfit will attempt to return to winning ways when they travel to Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Real Madrid: Los Blancos, meanwhile, will host struggling Eibar on Saturday.
Matt Law
