'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid made it nine wins from nine since their return from the lockdown, although they survived a massive scare as Granada made them work their socks off for a nervy 2-1 victory at the Estadio Nuevo de Los Carmenes.
The visitors started on the front foot and kept Granada holed up in front of their area for most of the early stages. It took just nine minutes for Ferland Mendy to break the deadlock when he rifled in from an acute angle after an excellent run forward.
Incredibly, the goal saw the former Lyon man become the 21st outfield player to score for Real Madrid this season, although the Granada goalkeeper would have been disappointed to be beaten at his near post.
Karim Benzema made it 2-0 when he received the ball on the edge of the area, skipped inside Victor Diaz and curled an unstoppable shot past Rui Silva into the top right corner.
Domingoes Duarte forced a save from Thibaut Courtois in the 35th minute but the half undoubtedly belonged to Zinedine Zidane's men.
Having exerted so much control throughout the first half, the second half begun in disastrous circumstances for Real Madrid as Casemiro made a rare mistake when he was robbed of possession in midfield, allowing Granada to break on the counter, with Yangel Herrera setting up Darwin Machis perfectly to half the deficit.
The goal gave the hosts confidence and they slowly grew into the match. Real Madrid looked nothing like the side that threatened to run away with the game in the first half.
It was a frenetic end to the match as Granada continued to push forward in a bid to force an equaliser. They nearly got it twice in the space of a minute as Thibaut Courtois was forced into a fine save from an Antonin Cortes header, while Ramon Azeez saw his goal-bound shot cleared off the line by Sergio Ramos in the same sequence of play.
Despite the scare, Real Madrid held on to the win and moved onto 83 points from 36 matches. Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the exciting La Liga fixture.
#5 Real Madrid take a giant step towards first league title since 2017
When Real Madrid started the current season, their major objective was to dethrone Barcelona from their perch atop La Liga.
They have shown great determination to claw back from a five-point deficit at the midway point of the season and their excellent form post-lockdown meant that they came into this game-week four points clear of the Catalans.
Barcelona's hard-fought 1-0 win over Real Valladolid temporarily reduced the deficit to one point but with this victory, Los Blancos have maintained the status quo and a victory against Villarreal on Thursday would see them crowned champions of Spain.
#4 Granada lose outside shot of securing Europa League spot
Granada have been one of the surprise teams of this La Liga season and even led the standings at one point in the campaign, after registering some impressive results against the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on what was their first season back in the top flight.
The Andalusians expectedly lost steam towards the midway point of the campaign but with just three matches left, Diego Martinez' side found themselves just four points behind the last European spot.
An unlikely victory over Real Madrid would have put them firmly back in the race for Europa League qualification but with their defeat, Granada face an uphill task to displace those above them.
#3 Impressive Thibaut Courtois beaten for the first time in over eight hours
It might have been funny to suggest just a year ago but Real Madrid currently boast the best defence in the Spanish top flight and Europe's top five leagues.
With Thibaut Courtois between the sticks, Zinedine Zidane's side have become more compact and this has been more evident post-lockdown where Los Blancos conceded just two goals in their first eight matches since the restart.
They had gone five consecutive games without conceding since Miguel Merino scored a late consolation for Real Sociedad in a 2-1 defeat, which marked their longest run of consecutive clean sheets since 2008.
After 45 minutes, Real Madrid were so comfortable that it seemed they were on course for another shutout but it took just four second-half minutes for Darwin Machis to breach their resolute backline.
#2 Ferland Mendy stakes claim to starting spot
For the best part of the last decade, Marcelo has been a mainstay on the left of the Real Madrid defence but Ferland Mendy's arrival, coupled with some poor performances, has put the Brazilian's position under threat.
The last few weeks have seen both men rotated but an adductor injury sustained by Marcelo has ruled him out for the rest of the season, giving Mendy a chance to stake his claim to be the first-choice left-back.
He did his cause a world of good with his performance against Granada, showing great attacking impetus to charge forward for the opening goal, while he also played a part in the build-up to Karim Benzema's strike.
#1 Fit Hazard only good enough for the bench
It has been an injury-plagued season for Eden Hazard, which meant that fans of Real Madrid have not gotten the chance to see the best of their record signing.
Having suffered a muscle injury some weeks ago, Zidane confirmed that Hazard was being managed and after missing the games against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao, the Belgian international was given a run-in for the final eight minutes in the 2-0 victory over Alaves.
He was once again named on the bench against Granada but did not get game-time, with his manager understandably managing his side with one eye on their marquee Champions League clash with Manchester City.
