Real Madrid 4-2 Granada: 3 reasons why Los Blancos won the match

Real Madrid consolidated their spot atop the standings in LaLiga by defeating Granada 4-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The visitors have been one of the surprise packages in the league this term and came into the fixture in second place just one point behind Real Madrid.

With Real Madrid having posted a disappointing 2-2 draw with Club Brugge at home in the Champions League, the onus was on Zidane's men to get back to winning ways and they discharged their duties effectively to head into the international break with lifted spirits.

Los Blancos raced into a 2-0 half-time lead, with Luka Modric making t 3-0 after the break but two quickfire goals from Granada set up a grandstand finish, but Real Madrid held on until the final minute of regular time when James Rodriguez added a fourth for the home side just seven minutes after coming on.

The win sees Real Madrid extend their lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table to four points (although their city rivals have a game in hand).

Here, we highlight three factors that contributed to Real Madrid's victory over Granada.

#3 Overall, they were the better team

While they might not have looked it on numerous occasions this season, Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world, with a plethora of world-class players in every department of the squad.

When they bring their A-game, few clubs can match Real Madrid and that happened to be the case in the game against Granada.

The home side dominated proceedings almost from the get-go and did not let Granada get a foothold in the game.

In total, Real Madrid had 13 shots, of which 10 were on target, while they also had 61% of the possession and completed 472 passes (85% accuracy) compared to the 278 (79% accuracy managed by Granada).

Over the 90 minutes, Zinedine Zidane's men were in total control and bar a brief 10-minute period in the second half where they threatened to unravel, Granada rarely troubled them; hence, they were good value for their win.

#2 Eden Hazard was in inspired form

Ever since arriving the Santiago Bernabeu over the summer for a club-record fee, things have not exactly gone according to plan for Eden Hazard, as he has struggled to make an impact on games.

His delayed debut due to injury undoubtedly played a part, but heading into this clash, the 28-year-old had yet to score or assist a goal in five matches for Real Madrid and the questions were already being asked of him by an ever-demanding Real Madrid fanbase.

After yet another subdued performance in midweek against Club Brugge, the Belgian international responded with his best performance in a white jersey to date.

He was one hand to open his Real Madrid account right on the stroke of half-time when he calmly lobbed the ball over Rui Silva after being played in by Federico Valverde.

Sixteen minutes into the second half, Hazard teed up Luka Modric from 30 yards out and the Croatian international unleashed an unstoppable screamer to put Real Madrid 3-0 up.

A few minutes later, Eden Hazard was substituted for Isco having done the damage to Granada already, and with the form he showed against Los Nazaríes, Real Madrid can be confident in their chances of achieving their quest this season.

#1 Recent results heightened expectations for a win

Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Club Brugge KV in the UEFA Champions League

As already touched upon, Real Madrid came into this fixture having posted a draw with Belgian minnows Club Brugge in the Champions League.

While a point might have been picked up in the clash, in the eyes of Los Blancos' fans, that result was as good as a defeat, because a club the size of Real Madrid should not have trouble seeing off Club Brugge.

Before that, they had also posted a goalless stalemate with Atletico Madrid in the league and while that might have been a more credible result, Real Madrid would have been eager not to go three matches without a victory.

This sense of urgency showed in their game, s they went ahead inside the first minute through the in-form Karim Benzema and from then on, it was pretty much one-way traffic till the conclusion of the game.

Granada might have impressed with their displays to this point, but they came up against a Real Madrid that was determined not to lose and ultimately, this heightened sense of urgency saw the home side prevail.