Real Madrid have defeated Sevilla 2-1 at the Bernabeu this evening to extend their lead at the La Liga summit to four points.
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The home side were dealt an early injury blow when Sergio Ramos was forced off, although just a few short minutes later they found themselves ahead when James Rodriguez capitalised on some poor defending from the opposition to head home Marcelo's cross.
Vicente Iborra looked certain to level things up with 18 minutes on the clock, collecting the ball off Vitolo and rounding Iker Casillas, but he could only find the post with his resulting shot.
Sevilla continued to up the ante in search of an equaliser, and they came close to finding one once more when Vitolo saw his effort end straight down the throat of Casillas.
Matters turned even worse for Madrid on the injury front shortly before the half-hour mark when James became the latest to hobble off through injury, but there was to be a worrying concern for the visitors, too, who saw Sergio Rico withdrawn on a stretcher following a nasty collision with Karim Benzema.
It was the Frenchman who created his side's second of the night eight minutes before the interval, rolling a low cross into the area for Jese to smash home.
Benzema and Sami Khedira could have wrapped things up before the break, yet neither capitalised on their respective chances, to see Sevilla head into the break with just a glimmer of hope.
In the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale looked keen to make an impact following the restart, producing a fine individual run before being stopped in his tracks by Daniel Carrico.
Sevilla had the post to thank for not falling further behind when Jese's effort came back off the upright, while Rico denied Isco's attempt to frustrate Madrid a little further.
That could have proved a turning point in the game as Iago Aspas converted Vitolo's cross with a fine finish 10 minutes from time, but it was not to be for Sevilla who failed to find a way through in the remainder, ensuring that Madrid have some breathing space at the top.
Daniel Lewis
