Real Madrid
Keylor Navas - 7/10
He had one of the busier days of his career between the posts. Espanyol was threatening and they did break his resolve towards the end of the match, with a sweetly struck strike into the top corner. He could have done little about the goal after having undone by his defense.
Achraf Hakimi - 7/10
The Morracan was full of energy as he bombarded up and down with pace. He was solid defensively and always available for a pass. However, his end product was not particularly at the level Real fans have been accustomed to as Real struggled to break Espanyol's defense.
Raphael Varane - 7/10
The French international looks to have regained his peak form after a slow start to the season. He was always ready at the back, aware of all the incoming dangers and had his sleeves up to it. He dominated Espanyol attackers in the air and was quite solid when put one on one.
Sergio Ramos - 7/10
Ramos had a decent game as he dominated and won everything that came his way in the air. He won headers, made blocks, and clearances while being a calm head in the heart of the Real Madrid's defense.
Nacho Hernandez - 6/10
He did fairly well against Dardar and defended well in general and was probably the best Madrid defender of the night. Offensively, he could not venture up the pitch with the regularity of a seasoned full-back.
Marcos Llorente - 7/10
The Spaniard gave a good defensive display in the middle of the park as he won everything coming his way. He broke up plays and initiated attacks. He has presented a good case for his spot in the team.
Isco - 6/10
The young Spaniard ran the show for Madrid in the first half. He floated all over the pitch and sprayed passes with varying ranges to his teammates. However, he did fade away in the second half and was replaced by Benzema.
Mateo Kovacic - 7/10
Kovacic has seen his game improve by leaps and bound this season. Today was no different. He sprayed passes throughout the pitch and delivered tempting lay-offs for his teammates. However, it was just not enough to unlock Espanyol's defense.
Asensio - 6/10
Asensio, quite simply stated, had an underwhelming game. He was quite active in the first half and created good chances for himself as well as his teammates. However, he vanished in the second half which hurt Real's chances of a win.
Gareth Bale- 6/10
Gareth Bale looked dangerous with the ball but his finishing radar was quite off. He was involved in the build-ups and looked sharp. He often dropped deep to help his midfield and combined well with his teams mates.
Lucas Vazquez - 5/10
Vazquez could not win the match for Real Madrid and his performance was not quite up to the standards he has set for himself. He missed a lot of opportunities to set up his teammates, and generally, his final deliveries were quite over/under-hit.
Substitutes
Karim Benzema - 6/10
He was introduced in place of Isco but he, for all his efforts, could not change the game in Madrid's favor.
Dani Ceballos - 4/10
Brought on with nine minutes to go, he did not have enough time to affect the game offensively. However, he was caught ball watching as he lost Gerard Moreno on the edge of the box when Espanyol scored.
Borja Mayoral - N/A
