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Goals in each half from unlikely source Casemiro and Jan Oblak- who scored into his own net- gave Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby.
The visitors came into this fixture as the form team in LaLiga, with seven consecutive victories propelling them to the top of the table.
They, however, struggled to contain Real's early pressure and Benzema forced Oblak into a save that ricocheted off the post in the 10th minute.
The defending champions got the lead their pressure deserved when Casemiro headed in a Toni Kroos corner kick in the 15th minute to put Atleti behind for the first time in LaLiga this season.
In what was a subpar performance, Atletico Madrid struggled to get going in the first half and could have been further behind at half time but for some fine saves by their goalkeeper.
A poor piece of play from Renan Lodi and Mario Hermoso put visitors under pressure at the start of the second half and Karim Benzema was fouled by Angel Correa for a free-kick right on the edge of the area that Sergio Ramos shot against the wall.
Atletico Madrid ramped up the pressure there after and a good team move saw Marcos Llorente play a pristine ball across the box that found Thomas Lemar unmarked at the back post which he crashed against the post when he should have scored.
Joao Felix was substituted for Saul Niguez much to his chagrin as Diego Simeone attempted to build on his side's pressure but Real Madrid soon doubled their advantage.
Saul Niguez headed out a Toni Kroos free-kick and Dani Carvajal controlled the rebound with his chest before striking a perfect shot on the half volley which a diving Oblak could only push into his net.
Late on, Courtois was forced into a point-blank save from Saul after an excellent cross from Renan Lodi and Thomas Lemar shot over after weaving his way through the hosts' defense.
Real Madrid could have got a third late on but Oblak was on hand to thwart Lucas Vazquez with an excellent save.
The win took the hosts up to third, just three points behind Atletico Madrid - who have a game in hand - and here, we shall rundown the five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Three wins from three in season-defining week for Real Madrid
A week can either be long or short time in football, depending on the situation you find yourselves in and for Real Madrid, it happened to be the former.
It seems like eons ago when Zinedine Zidane was supposedly on his way out of the club after a poor start to the season and rumors were rife that Florentino Perez was lining up Mauricio Pochettino or Raul Gonzalez as his potential replacement.
In what was a season-defining week, Los Blancos faced Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Atletico Madrid, with a lot riding on the results in these fixtures.
Considering their early-season form, not many gave Real Madrid any chance of coming through the games unscathed but like true champions, they showed the stuff they are made of when the going got tough.
Having ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Sanchez Pizjuan last weekend, the LaLiga champions secured progression as group winners in the Champions League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Bundesliga side.
This helped ease the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and their latest victory belies the suggestion that Real Madrid were a club in crisis.
#4 Atletico Madrid see 26-game unbeaten run end at the hands of Real Madrid
Coming into this fixture, Atletico Madrid were one of just three clubs who were unbeaten in Europe's top five leagues.
Their 10-game unbeaten run this season came on the back of a 16-game unbeaten end to the last campaign that meant Los Colchoneros had gone 26 games without tasting defeat in LaLiga, which marked their longest run without defeat in the competition's history.
Incredibly, their last league loss came in February against the same rivals, when a second half header from Karim Benzema was enough to give Los Blancos a narrow 1-0 advantage.
Ultimately, their city rivals came back to haunt Atletico and the defeat sees them lose their unbeaten start to the campaign.
#3 Real Madrid continue domestic dominance of city rivals
Once upon a time, the Madrid derby was so one-sided that it led to that infamous banner demanding a 'worthy opponent' for the derby.
The arrival of Diego Simeone helped change that and Atletico Madrid were transformed into more than worthy opponents.
The red and white part of the city got memorable wins in the early part of his tenure, even though they faced heartbreak in the UEFA Champions League final on two occasions.
However, since the appointment of Zinedine Zidane, the previous hierarchy has slowly become reestablished and Real Madrid are currently on a 10-game unbeaten run against their city rivals (seven of which came under their French manager).
The last time Atletico Madrid defeated Los Blancos in LaLiga was in February 2016 where a second half goal by Jose Maria Gimenez gave them a 1-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Considering the gains made in recent years by Atletico, it might come as a surprise that they have gone this long without a league victory over Real but once again, Zidane's side showed that they are indeed the number one club in the capital.
#2 Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema write their names into the record books
With 26 years between them in the Real Madrid dressing room, Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema are among the most experienced and longest-serving players in the Los Blancos squad.
Both men have played extremely crucial roles in all the successes enjoyed by the club in the last decade and they are sure to depart the Santiago Bernabeu as club legends.
Sergio Ramos has acted as the club's on-field and off-field leader in the last six years and his seeming omnipresence means that he could well remain a fixture in this squad for the foreseeable future.
When the Spain international took the field against Atletico Madrid, it was the 43rd time that he was playing in the Madrid derby, placing him joint-top for players with most appearances, alongside Francisco Gento and Manolo Sanchiz.
Ramos will have an opportunity to have the record outright for himself when his side travels to the Wanda Metropolitano for the return fixture.
For Karim Benzema, this was his 528th appearances in all competitions for the 13-time European champions and it saw him overtake the iconic Roberto Carlos as the foreign player with the most appearances in Real Madrid's history.
#1 Atletico Madrid's title credentials questioned
Atletico Madrid have not won LaLiga since their remarkable triumph in 2014, and despite steadily punching above their weight, they always seem to fall short of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
However, their impressive start to the current campaign had many tipping them for glory, especially in light of the struggles being experiences by the Clasico teams.
Diego Simeone's side came into this game on a seven-game winning run with just two goals conceded, while their shackles in front of goal had also been seemingly removed, with the in-form Joao Felix spearheading the attack that had scored a league-high 21 goals from just 10 matches.
Indeed, their record across 10 games was better than anyone else in Europe's top five leagues, and although 'Cholo' Simeone did his utmost to downplay title projections, he could not deny that his side had made a mark.
They were already a massive 12 points ahead of Barcelona and six points ahead of Real Madrid and they came into this game as slight favorites, with an opportunity to make a statement.
A victory here would have sent them nine points clear of Real Madrid with a game in hand and that would set them well on their way to grabbing the crown.
However, their defeat has seen their previous stranglehold at the top diminish. More worrying was the manner in which they were totally outplayed on the field.
Even though the advantage is still with Atletico, the dominance of Real Madrid in this fixture is sure to send a statement to the rest of the league that they are not quite ready to relinquish their title without a fight.
It will also raise questions as to how credible Atletico Madrid's title credentials are.
