Real Madrid have moved three points clear at the top of La Liga following a 3-1 win at 10-man Celta Vigo on Saturday.
The visitors led by two goals at the interval following first-half efforts from Cristiano Ronaldo and Danilo.
Celta's task became harder just before the hour when Gustavo Cabral picked up a second yellow card, but the hosts, who had trouble beating an excellent Keylor Navas, did score late on through Nolito.
It was Real Madrid that made sure of the points late on, however, as Marcelo netted in the 95th minute.
Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action between the two sides.
Match statistics
CELTA VIGO
Shots: 17
On target: 7
Possession: 50%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 15
REAL MADRID
Shots: 14
On target: 8
Possession: 50%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
This was, without question, one of the most eventful La Liga fixtures in recent memory. Celta entered this match as one of just two teams in Spain's top flight - the other being Real Madrid - that had not been beaten this season and they will be wondering how that is still not the case. Statistics rarely paint a false picture and the fact that Celta had 17 attempts, seven of which were on target, is an indication of their threat in the final third. Real Madrid managed eight attempts on target, but there is no question that the visitors were fortunate to be two goals ahead at the break. Celta contributed to their own downfall with some poor defending, but only a superb first-half performance from Navas saw Eduardo Berizzo's side frustrated at the break.
Celta continued to press in the early stages of the second period, but after being reduced to 10 men, it was always going to be a tough ask against Real Madrid's counter-attacking capabilities. Eventually the hosts managed to breach Navas's goal with a super Nolito effort, but it was Los Blancos that scored the game's fourth goal late on. When taking into account everything that happened in Vigo, it is difficult to say that Celta deserved to lose. The second period was a lot different to the first, but they had enough opportunities to deserve at least a share of the spoils. It was a quite incredible game of football in Spain's top flight.
Celta Vigo's performance
Celta's position of second in the table is no fluke and despite losing this game, head coach Berizzo can take plenty of positives. There were no surprises in the team selection for the hosts, with in-form forwards Nolito, Fabian Orellana and Iago Aspas all in the XI. It was Real Madrid that took control of the game in the early stages, however, and when Ronaldo sent the visitors 1-0 ahead in the eighth minute, Celta were struggling to match the intensity on display from the Spanish giants. Aspas and Orellana both had chances in the spell that followed, but Danilo's second was a really tough one to take.
Poor defending contributed to Celta's conceded goals, but the hosts were excellent in the final third and only a series of exceptional saves from Navas meant that they entered the break behind. Daniel Wass and Pablo Hernandez also came close in the latter stages of a first period that the hosts dominate for long spells. They lost their heads just before the hour, however, when Cabral picked up a second yellow card for dissent, while Aspas and Hernandez were also booked in the moments that followed. What had been a positive performance threatened to become a nightmare as Real Madrid took control.
Nolito had one cleared off-the-line in the 73rd minute, but 12 minutes later, the Barcelona target found the top corner with a stunning strike. It was all hands to the pump late on and John Guidetti came close to an equaliser, but it was Marcelo that added the game's fourth goal late on to make sure of the points for the visitors. An incredible game of football saw Celta fail to pick up any points, but there were plenty of positives. They are obviously some way from challenging for the title, but more performances of this ilk will make them real contenders for the top four this season, which would be excellent progress for the club.
Real Madrid's performance
Travelling to Celta was always going to be tough and more so this time around due to the fact that Rafael Benitez was without a number of key players. Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez remained on the sidelines, but those that started, including Jese Rodriguez and Lucas Vasquez, were excellent. It was a contest that Los Blancos controlled in the opening 15, 20 minutes, with Celta simply unable to deal with the intensity that Real Madrid adopted. A super finish from Ronaldo sent the visitors ahead in the eighth minute, before Danilo found the back of the net after excellent work from Jese.
The two goals, however, came from Real Madrid's only two attempts on target in the first period. It was an impressive first-half performance from Los Blancos, but they would not have led at the interval had it not been for Navas, who made four or five top-class saves to continue his clean sheet record. Celta continued to threaten after the break, but the game changed before the hour when Cabral was dismissed. The red card meant that Real Madrid could sit back and play on the counter and in truth, they should have been out of sight before the late onslaught from Celta, which brought a Nolito goal five minutes from time.
The visitors remained a threat with their pace in the final third, however, and when substitute Denis Cheryshev found space in stoppage time, he set up Marcelo for the all-important third goal. Casemiro and Luka Modric were two players that shone in Vigo, but it is difficult to imagine that Real Madrid would have won this match if it was not for their goalkeeper, who came so close to joining Manchester United in the summer transfer window. Benitez's team look the real deal this season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Keylor Navas: This is not a difficult decision. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was beaten late on, but he made a series of exceptional saves in Vigo to keep his team two goals ahead for long spells. Great goalkeepers make the easy saves as well as the difficult ones and both were on full view in this particular game. It would be a surprise if Real Madrid moved once again for David de Gea with Navas in this type of form.
Biggest gaffe
It is difficult to ascertain just what happened and what was said during the red-card incident, but it was a game-changer and Cabral must take the blame for getting himself involved in what occurred. Hernandez was booked for tugging Sergio Ramos's shirt and Cabral's reaction to the decision saw the referee bring out a second yellow card. Aspas was also fortunate not to see red after getting himself involved in another altercation just minutes after being booked during the red-card incident.
Referee performance
Referee Clos Gomez had a very busy afternoon. The Spaniard only issued one yellow card in the first period as the match was allowed to flow from end-to-end, but he seemed to lose control in the second half when sending Cabral from the field and quickly booking three more players. It was an unsavoury second period for long spells and Gomez must take some of the blame for allowing certain incidents to play out. Celta may well feel Real Madrid, who were only awarded one yellow, had the rub of the green with the officials.
What next?
Celta Vigo: Next up for Celta is a trip to Real Sociedad next weekend.
Real Madrid: Los Blancos, meanwhile, will welcome Las Palmas to the Bernabeu next time out.
Matt Law
