Real Madrid continued their resurgence in form with a comfortable 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Celta Vigo on Saturday.
It was Gonzalo Higuain that handed Jose Mourinho's side the lead after 11 minutes, before a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty made sure of the points 20 minutes from time.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.
Match statistics:
Real Madrid:
Shots 15
On target 3
Possession 60%
Corners 11
Fouls 14
Celta Vigo:
Shots 4
On target 3
Possession 40%
Corners 5
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
Even the most hardened Celta Vigo supporter would find it difficult to argue that their side deserved something from the evening's events. Madrid simply dominated from start to finish and should have won by more than the two-goal scoreline. Celta did manage to register three shots on target, but two of those came in the final five minutes when the match had long gone.
Real Madrid's performance
5/10. It was hardly vintage from Madrid, but they got the job done. It doesn't matter how they pick up points at the moment, the important thing is that they stay in touch with Barcelona. The lack of a recognised left-back did appear to cause them some problems, but their attacking talent saw them through overall.
Celta Vigo's performance
3/10. Celta had remarkably won both of their last two clashes at the Bernabeu when they arrived on Saturday, but they showed no sign of continuing that impressive record. In truth, it was as poor an away display as you are likely to see. They offered no attacking threat of their own and but for an off-colour Madrid, they would have taken a hiding.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Iker Casillas: It was hardly a match of star performers but the Spanish number one made two wonderful saves in the final five minutes to display his incredible reflexes. He is world class.
Biggest gaffe of the match
The away side's attacking intent. That's not to say that Celta should have opened up and attacked Madrid, but the home side were there for the taking today. Make no mistake about it, a little bit of invention would have gone a long way.
Referee performance
Carlos Clos Gomez had a very comfortable 90 minutes of action. The Spaniard let the match flow in the correct areas and was strict but fair with his card distribution.
What next?
Real Madrid: Madrid return to Champions League action away to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday before travelling to Mallorca next Sunday.
Celta Vigo: Celta will attempt to continue their solid home form against Deportivo La Coruna next Saturday.
Matt Law
