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Real Madrid thrashed Mallorca 6-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to go atop the La Liga table after Gameweek 6.
Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the hosts in the third minute following an error from Josep Gaya. Marco Asensio doubled their advantage following some great work from Rodrygo inside the box.
The visitors pulled one back immediately with a mesmerising strike from Kang-In Lee that gave Thibaut Courtois no chance. Minutes later, though, Asensio restored Real Madrid's two-goal advantage.
Madrid continued their onslaught in the second half as well. Asensio scored a beautiful goal in the 55th minute to complete his hat-trick. Karim Benzema completed his brace as well. He controlled the ball beautifully after receiving a long pass from David Alaba before slotting it in.
Real Madrid sealed the proceedings with Isco scoring their sixth of the night. The Spaniard tucked one into the back of the net following some tidy work from Vinicius Jr.
On that note, here's a look at the five talking points from the game:
#5 Marco Asensio is Real Madrid's hero of the night
Marco Asensio made his first start of the season following reports that he was unhappy with his playing time. Carlo Ancelotti placed his trust in the Spaniard and gifted him a berth in the starting eleven. The 25-year-old repaid that with a masterclass performance.
Asensio scored a wonderful hat-trick against his former club to put forward his case as a regular starter. He was a threat every time he advanced higher up the pitch.
His third goal had class written all over. It was a throwback to his majestic performances in Zinedine Zidane's first stint as Real Madrid manager.
#4 Karim Benzema hits a key milestone
Karim Benzema scored a brace against Mallorca. His second of the night took him to 200 La Liga goals.
The Frenchman is in red-hot form for Los Blancos this season. Benzema scored two and set up two others on the night. He now has eight goals and seven assists in six league appearances for Real Madrid this season.
Benzema fired one in the third minute of the game following an error from Gaya. He then set up Marco Asensio for his second and third of the night. The Frenchman then scored Real Madrid's fifth of the night.
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#3 RCD Mallorca are no match for Real Madrid
Real Madrid were relentless from the starting whistle against Mallorca. The hosts never allowed the visitors to take charge of the game.
Madrid stung Mallorca with an early opener, which opened the floodgates. The hosts had 18 shots throughout the game, with 12 of them being on target. The visitors too had their share of attempts, but they never came close to testing Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid looked threatening every time they ventured forward. Their quick exchanges, pacy runs, fiery transitions and switches yielded no response from the visitors, though. Madrid outclassed their opposition in each department, and Mallorca were fortuitous not to have conceded more.
#2 Eden Hazard's Real Madrid future seems uncertain
Despite being called up for the game, Eden Hazard was left out of Real Madrid's starting eleven. In fact, he was an unused substituti against Mallorca.
Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that the Belgian still finds it difficult to start two games in a row. But given the fact that the others are raking in goals and assists, Hazard is down in the pecking order at the moment.
Hazard may have shown glimpses of his former self this season. But that may not be enough with Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Marco Asensio scoring goals. And things would only exacerbate if he does not up his game before Gareth Bale returns from injury.
#1 Carlo Ancelotti has transformed Real Madrid
Under Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid were a balanced side that essayed equal emphasis on attack as well as defence. But under Ancelotti, Madrid have been ruthless higher up the pitch. They do open up at the back on occasions, but they compensate for that on the scoring front.
In his very first interview, Ancelotti iterated that he would like to see players apart from Benzema step up in front of goal. The players seem to have responded to that, and goals are coming in from all fronts. Madrid now look more effective while attacking, something they'll hope continues for the rest of the season.
