Real Madrid have moved six points clear of second-placed Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table courtesy of a 3-1 win over Sevilla at Bernabeu.
Luka Modric sent Los Blancos ahead in just the fifth minute of the contest, with the Croatia international finding the back of the net after meeting a cross from Vinicius Junior.
Sevilla were level early in the second half through Erik Lamela, with the Argentine managing to find a route past Thibaut Courtois, who returned between the sticks for Real Madrid following a spell out injured.
The home side were not to be denied, though, and found a second in the 79th minute, with Vinicius this time setting up Lucas Vazquez, who could not miss from close range.
Carlo Ancelotti's side then made sure of the points in the 81st minute when Marco Asensio found Federico Valverde, and the Argentine took one touch before picking out the top corner.
Karim Benzema had initially been named in the squad for the clash with Sevilla, but he was not involved on Saturday night due to muscular fatigue.
Barcelona will now be looking to move back to within three points of their Clasico rivals when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to Camp Nou on Sunday night.
Next up for Real Madrid is a Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday, before ending the month with a league game against Girona on October 30.
Sevilla, meanwhile, will be bidding to bounce back from their first defeat since Jorge Sampaoli's arrival for his second spell as head coach when they host Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday, before hosting Rayo Vallecano in the league next weekend.
Matt Law
