Zinedine Zindane's side went back ahead of Clasico rivals Barcelona to the top of La Liga with a comfortable win in Catalunya
James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema got the goals as Real Madrid earned a scrappy win against Espanyol to go three points clear of rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale out of action the onus turned to squad players like James, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez to save Los Blancos and they managed it, but not without some trouble.
Sergio Ramos was lucky to escape a red card in the first half when he got away with a handball while on a booking, but Madrid eventually took control of the game in the second half and earned the three points.
Here are five things we learned from the game….
1. James Rodriguez has plenty to offer Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane has not proven a big admirer of James Rodriguez, marginalising him even more than Rafa Benitez did. The last time he felt truly happy at the Santiago Bernabeu was under Carlo Ancelotti.
This was James’ first LaLiga start of the season and it came with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale out injured and Isco recovering from a knock. Even youngster Marco Asensio has slipped ahead of him in the pecking order.
But James didn’t turn into a bad player overnight and in games like these he has the creative energy to help Real Madrid break through.
After a bad first half from Los Blancos he managed to worm his way past two defenders and then slam home a shot from around 25 yards out.
This is the quality Madrid need to harness, rather than shunt out to one side—he has 26 goals and 30 assists in 83 games for the club.
When Casemiro was taken off injured early in the first half, Toni Kroos came on, playing alongside Luka Modric with James ahead as the No 10.
This was Ancelotti’s preferred midfield and it certainly plays to the Colombian’s strengths.
Its was not a perfect game for James by any means as he still lacks match fitness, but before being taken off he gave Zidane something to chew over.
2. Sergio Ramos proves wisdom doesn't come with age
There’s no doubt that Sergio Ramos has his merits, including a penchant for scoring important goals and making some sensational last-ditch tackles.
But it was his other side on display in Cornella El-Prat, the side that’s seen him receive 21 red cards over the years for Real Madrid. Now 30, one might hope he would be more intelligent on the pitch, but the change never happened.
He was deservedly booked in just the third minute for a reckless lunge on Leo Baptistao and then should have seen red midway through the first half when he committed a glaring handball to block Hernan Perez’s blast from the edge of the box.
Summoning the spirit of former Newcastle defender Steven Taylor, he went down clutching his head. Referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez bought it, and waved on the medics to treat Ramos for his non-existent head injury.
“Así gana el Madrid,” chanted Espanyol fans later, increasingly annoyed with the officiating—“This is how Madrid win”.
Fittingly, Ramos’ booking was Madrid’s 3,000th yellow card in the history of La Liga. Top of the list? You guessed it, the man himself on 145.
3. Real Madrid have mastered the knack of winning without playing well
If the last-gasp win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League wasn’t proof enough, this scrappy victory, which saw Madrid maintain their 100 per cent record this season and go three points clear of Barcelona and Las Palmas, should do the trick.
It was Madrid’s 16th consecutive win in LaLiga, breaking a club record set in 1960-61 that they matched against Osasuna last weekend, which also equals the all-time record set by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the 2010-11 season.
That will be especially pleasing for president Florentino Perez, who appointed Zidane in the hope he could be Madrid’s answer to what Barcelona have done with Guardiola and now Luis Enrique.
There have been some good results for Madrid in the run, including a win at Camp Nou towards the end of last season, but at the same time they have been fortunate to keep their streak going.
Even this season they nearly stumbled against Celta Vigo.
4. BBC not in good shape but squad depth covers it well
Although Real Madrid did not spend big money this summer, only bringing Alvaro Morata back from Juventus, they have a deep squad that has proven able to cope with huge absences.
The feted BBC strike force of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema is not in good health, with the former two out with a sore throat and hip injury respectively, while the latter—despite his goal—is clearly not fit yet.
However Madrid have enjoyed goals from 10 different players this season, showing that even when they are missing big players they can cover the gaps well.
Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio, two players that cut their teeth on loan at Espanyol are in the squad and playing important roles now, which is something Madrid fans are pleased with, given they are often criticised for not bringing through young players.
5. Espanyol believe they can achieve
Often when Real Madrid come calling at Cornella they get a walk. Espanyol don’t look like they have it in them to cause an upset and they end up being turned over.
The last time they beat Real Madrid in the league was 2007 and last season Espanyol lost 6-0 both home and away.
However, there was a different feeling this evening. The fans believe they can make an impact on the table this season, with new Chinese investment seeing them sign several players over the summer.
Over 30,000 fans came to a stadium which often fills less than half of the 40,000 seats, even for the visit of big teams.
They also saw this as a good chance to beat Madrid, with Bale, Ronaldo and Keylor Navas out, Benzema not fully fit and Madrid having scraped to an undeserved victory over Sporting Lisbon in midweek.
Much of the first half gave them further reason to believe, with striker Baptistao missing two huge chances.
The first was a strike he slammed against former Espanyol man Kiko Casilla, the second a header that whistled over the bar from Javi Lopez’s bending cross.
When Benzema added to James’ first-half strike the game crept beyond them, but this was a valiant effort from a team roared on by fans who can see things improving at the club.
MIRROR
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