Real Madrid moved seven points clear at the top of La Liga with a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu.
Aritz Elustondo opened the scoring for Sociedad inside the first minute, but goals from James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos turned the game around in the first period.
The home side had their third early in the second half through Karim Benzema, who added his second late on.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
REAL MADRID
Shots: 26
On target: 11
Possession: 58%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 8
SOCIEDAD
Shots: 8
On target: 2
Possession: 42%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Real were far too strong for Sociedad at the Bernabeu. It started so well for the visitors, who took the lead inside one minute from their first corner. However, it went downhill from that moment. The hosts were level just two minutes later when James headed home from close range and Sociedad remained under pressure for the remainder of the contest. It was vital that Sociedad entered the break on levels terms, but Ramos made sure that was not the case on 37 minutes.
The home side remained on top in the second period, with Gareth Bale coming close on a couple of occasions. The Welshman set up Benzema for goal number three, however, before the Frenchman scored his second late on. Sociedad had bits and pieces in the latter stages, but it all came too late as the hosts claimed all the points in comfortable fashion.
Real Madrid's performance
Los Blancos were without a certain Cristiano Ronaldo following his red card against Cordoba last week, but it mattered little in terms of the scoreline. James moved further forward in Ronaldo's absence and the Colombian had a superb match, as did Benzema and Bale in the final third of the field. The home side had 26 attempts in total - 11 of which were on target and, but for some excellent goalkeeping, it would have been a lot more comprehensive for Madrid.
This all came after Sociedad had taken the lead inside the first minute. The visitors forced a corner with their first attack, which was converted, but when Real scored the equaliser just two minutes later, the mood changed. It was not a full Bernabeu, but those inside the stadium lifted the noise, which reflected matters on the field. Isco also continued his strong form in midfield, while Asier Illarramendi had a solid match against his former club. Real were without the best player in the world, but it did not show and that is an indication of the strength of their performance.
Sociedad's performance
Sociedad have lost just three times since David Moyes took charge of the club, but their away form this season has been very poor. Entering the match, they had not won away from home in the league this season and it was not too much of a surprise when that poor form continued here. The Basque outfit's game-plan heavily relied on the pace of Carlos Vela in attack, but the Mexican picked up an injury just 17 minutes in and that really harmed the visitors. Imanol Agirretxe has been in good form in recent weeks, but the striker was left isolated against a strong Real Madrid defence.
Moyes also selected a team with the view of dominating possession, but the likes of Xabi Prieto and Sergio Canales really struggled against a Madrid midfield that was missing a couple of key players. The visitors will argue that the final score of 4-1 was harsh, but they managed just two shots on target - one of which found the back of the net. There were periods of the match, especially in the first half, when they showed promise, however, and Moyes can take positives despite the fairly heavy defeat.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Karim Benzema: The Frenchman has been criticised at times this season, but he was in full flow this afternoon. The striker scored his side's third with a close-range finish before curling a sensational fourth goal into the top corner. Sociedad found it difficult to deal with Benzema's movement and he left the field to a standing ovation in the latter stages.
Biggest gaffe
Real should have moved 3-1 ahead in the latter stages of the first period when James led a three-on-one counter before finding Bale inside the box, but somehow the Welshman passed his effort just wide of the post, with Geronimo Rulli stranded. It mattered little in terms of the final result and, aside from that, Bale had an impressive afternoon.
Referee performance
La Liga matches are usually busy for referees, especially in terms of cards. However, this was a fairly routine afternoon for Alfonso Alvarez, who remained largely uninvolved. The Spaniard did issue four bookings - three of which came for the home side - but they were fairly routine decisions. Neither manager will have many complaints with his performance.
What next?
Real Madrid: Los Blancos play their league game in hand at home to Sevilla on Wednesday.
Sociedad: Next up for Sociedad in the league is a home match against Celta Vigo next Saturday evening.
Matt Law
