Real Madrid 2-2 Sevilla: 5 Talking Points as Diego Carlos' injury-time own-goal saves Los Blancos blushes

#3- Julen Lopetegui and Sevilla are made for each other

If tonight's draw ends up denying Real Madrid the La Liga title this season, some sort of poetic justice will be served, considering Julen Lopetegui has a hand in it. The Spanish manager was unceremoniously sacked from the club in 2018, without being given a full season to implement his tactics.

The coach then took up the Sevilla job, which has turned out to be a perfect marriage so far. The former Porto coach led the team to Europa League glory in his first season, and the side looks set for a top-4 finish in his sophomore year. Tonight's result proved that Sevilla are a team that has to be taken seriously, and Lopetegui deserves due credit for that.

#2- Marcelo's best days are certainly behind him

The once mercurial Marcelo had another sub-par display for Los Blancos tonight, as the Brazilian failed to impact proceedings in any form before eventually getting subbed off in the 66th minute. Marcelo put in 4 crosses tonight, however, and only one was successful, a statistic that outlines the kind of night the left-back had.

With Ferland Mendy cementing his place as first-choice left-back, it's time Real Madrid started looking for alternatives for the back-up option as well. That could and should mean curtains for Marcelo, who clearly doesn't have enough gas in the tank left to compete at this level.

#1- The hand-ball rule continues to confuse fans and players alike

Zinedine Zidane was not happy with today's handball debacle

In the 77th minute, Karim Benzema raced clear towards Sevilla's goal, rounding the keeper and eventually getting fouled. Real Madrid were expected to get a spot-kick out of the sequence, but after a VAR check, Sevilla were awarded a penalty as Militao handled the ball in his own box in the build-up.

Zidane making today exception to never talking about referees. Says he's not convinced by the referee's explanation. Accepts that Militao handled the ball, but also says there was a Sevilla handball too. Says they should all be called.
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) May 9, 2021

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However, in an incident prior to that, Diego Carlos ended up being in a similar situation, but no action was taken against the Sevilla centre-half. The handball rules have been extremely inconsistent this season, leading to confusion between players, managers and even fans.

Titles are decided by fine margins, and a more consistent approach will certainly be more beneficial going forward.

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