Real Madrid moved five points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid with a 2-0 victory over their capital rivals at the Bernabeu.
Madrid took the lead after just 16 minutes when Cristiano Ronaldo thumped a free kick into the top corner.
Meanwhile, a largely uneventful second period brought just the single goal as Mesut Ozil wrapped up the three points for the home side after 66 minutes.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Madrid rivals.
Match statistics:
Real Madrid
Shots 10
On target 6
Possession 66%
Corners 3
Fouls 19
Atletico Madrid
Shots 4
On target 2
Possession 34%
Corners 4
Fouls 23
Was the result fair?
Without question. Real Madrid were the only side interested in attacking this evening. Atletico's gameplan was to sit and hope for something on the counter, but the second goal from Ozil all but wrapped up the points. It would have been interesting had Atletico come out and attacked the Real defence from the off. We might have had a different result.
Real Madrid's performance
8/10. Real were really impressive this evening. It was a match that they simply daren't lose. Their defence stood up well to the physical threat provided by Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa, while their flair players ultimately secured the points. Since drawing at home on the opening weekend to Valencia, Real have won every league match at the Bernabeu by at least two goals.
Atletico Madrid's performance
6/10. Atletico simply did not turn up this evening. It was supposed to be the night that they really turned up the heat on their Madrid rivals. But it never transpired. They were more interested in petulance in the opening period and ultimately they never looked close to taking something from the match.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese wins this award based on his overall performance, rather than his spectacular free kick. When others around him got caught up in the playacting, Ronaldo kept focus and his desire to win rubbed off on his teammates.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Falcao is a brilliant player. But he did himself no favours in the opening period when he hit the deck under minimal contact from Sergio Ramos. The Spanish defender did swing an arm, but the Colombian's reaction was really poor.
Referee performance
Alberto Undiano failed to control the match for large periods this evening. The Spaniard should have issued at least three yellow cards following dangerous challenges in the first half, but the fouls went unpunished.
What next?
Real Madrid: Real are in Champions League action at home to Ajax on Tuesday before returning to domestic football away to Real Valladolid next Saturday.
Atletico Madrid: Atletico will attempt to return to winning ways when they face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday. Meanwhile, their next league clash is at home to Deportivo La Coruna next Sunday.
Matt Law
