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Real Madrid resumed their La Liga campaign post the international break with a commanding 4-1 win over Granada in their away fixture on Sunday. Marco Asensio, Nacho, Vinicius Junior and Ferland Mendy were the goalscorers for the visitors while Luis Suarez pulled one back for the hosts.
A red card to Monchu made things worse for the hosts but Real Madrid could only score one goal after that, but it was not for their lack of trying. Granada had no answers to Madrid's seamless play and after conceding two early goals, they knew they were in for a tough night.
Marco Asensio opened the scoring for Real Madrid following a great run into the box after a good pass from Kroos. Though Maximiano got a hand to the effort he could not stop the ball from going in.
Just six minutes later Kroos took a short corner towards Modric, who returned the ball and Kroos found Nacho inside the box. The defender fired home from close range, as his shot went inside from the underside of the bar.
Granada breathed a sigh of relief as Asensio's shot was cleared off the line by Alberto Soro, who had raced back from the midline. The hosts saw some good fortune as Suarez's long-range effort took a deflection and beat Courtois to half the deficit.
After some good exchanges by both teams the first half ended. The second half started on a positive note for the visiting side as Real Madrid drew first blood again.
A brilliant run by Karim Benzema set up the third goal of the night for Vinicius Junior. He made a great run from the middle of the pitch before laying it off to Modric. The Croatian passed it to the Brazilian to roll the ball into an empty net.
After Monchu's red card, it was one-way traffic and Mendy joined in on the action to add the fourth goal of the night. It was a clinical win for Real Madrid who are at the top of the league table. Here, we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Pass master Toni Kroos puts in a clinical display for Real Madrid
Toni Kroos was pure class against Granada and impressed with his great distribution of the ball. The German midfielder was involved in more passes than anyone else on the pitch. Thanks to his good positioning on the pitch, he was able to create two goals in the first half for Real Madrid.
He played the role of a box-to-box midfielder against the hosts. Though he did not have any direct defensive contributions, he was one of the first players to fall back in case of a counter-attack from Granada.
He was the creative force in the middle of the pitch, creating four key passes in the game and also completing 97.8% of his passes. His frustratingly calm demeanor on the pitch invited more fouls than any other Real Madrid player from the hosts.
#4 Referee made the right call in awarding Monchu a red card
The game between Granada and Real Madrid brought out the difference between two teams at the two ends of the league standings. The hosts were left chasing the ball for the most part, especially in the second half, which led to frustration among the players.
They committed 10 fouls in the game, mostly against the speedy duo of Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio. Manchu was lucky to have gotten away without a booking for four fouls.
With Vinicius making another marauding run, Monchu's frustration reached a peak and he barged in with a heavy challenge. Juan Martinez Munuera had no problem pulling out the red card for the high boot challenge.
Despite whistles and uproar from the home fans, it was the right call. The young player had it coming as he was let off with a warning on a couple of occasions.
#3 An all-round performance delivers the result for Real Madrid
Real Madrid had a comfortable outing in their trip to Granada. Apart from Luis Suarez's goal, which took a massive deflection going in, they looked in cruise control of the game.
Scoring twice in each half, they displayed patience, determination, and discipline. Carlo Ancelotti had fielded a strong squad with an effective 4-3-3 formation, with the three midfielders, Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro all picking up assists.
Vinicius Jr. bagged his eighth goal of the campaign and continued his fine run of form. Meanwhile, Asensio also had a good outing and looked comfortable on the ball, scoring the opening goal.
Thibaut Courtois made a couple of good saves in the final minutes of the game to ensure a big win for the capital club.
#2 Granada were outclassed by Real Madrid
Granada simply had no answer for a well-drilled Real Madrid side and were outclassed and outplayed at every position on the pitch. The only goal of the game for the hosts came from a deflection and if not for that bit of luck, they might've failed to break Real Madrid's defense here.
This win marked their 13th straight victory for Los Blancos over the Andalusian side. Madrid had 10 shots on target here and made good use of their 69% possession, as they also moved the ball around well, maintaining a 90% pass success.
Granada struggled to create chances as Madrid kept it tight at the back and did not allow much space to the attackers, especially Luis Suarez. It seems the 4-4-2 is not working for Robert Moreno at the moment.
#1 Vinicius Jr continues to impress
After a long time Real Madrid have found a player who can complement Karim Benzema in the final third and take some of the responsibility off his shoulders. That player is Vini Jr.
The young Brazilian has impressed with his output this season and for all his pace and flair, he has finally been able to add goals to his name. Against Granada, he caused a lot of problems for the defenders with his acceleration. He eventually forced a rash tackle from Monchu, who was awarded a red card for the same.
He added the third goal of the night for Real Madrid in what was a very well worked move, displaying his ability to link up well with his teammates. The goal also makes him the first La Liga player born in the 2000s to reach double-digit figures, with 10 goals across all competitions this season.
