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Real Madrid picked up the most important points of the season as Los Blancos marched to a win against Real Sociedad earlier today. The match against the Basque club represented one of the most difficult fixtures in Real Madrid's schedule and the side's performance will leave Zinedine Zidane a happy man.
While Real Sociedad did enjoy a chunk of the possession and was threatening on a few occasions, Real Madrid always seemed to have an edge over the Basque side and emerged victorious in a hard-fought encounter.
Los Blancos hold all the cards in a head-to-head comparison with Barcelona and are set to win the league should the two Spanish giants finish the season on level ter.
Real Madrid and Real Sociedad started the match on an even footing and spent the first half-hour weighing each other up. As many as three players were booked as an intriguing battle took place in the midfield. Real Madrid's Casemiro seemed to have met his match in Mikel Merino as the two sides tried to wrest control of the match.
Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. were the most threatening players for Real Madrid in the first half. Benzema continued from where he left off against Valencia and ran the show for Real Madrid towards the end of the first half. The French striker consistently dropped into the midfield and played accurate passes to the side's wingers.
Vinicius entered the second half flying off the blocks and a virtually unplayable run led to a penalty for Real Madrid early in the second half. Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos stepped up to take the penalty and scored it with aplomb to put Real Madrid in control of the game.
The goal prompted Real Sociedad to click into gear and for a short ten-minute period, the Basque side put pressure on Real Madrid. The home team thought the scores were levelled after an excellent Adnan Januzaj shot but Mikel Merino's impedance of Thibaut Courtois' view ensured that the goal was disallowed for offside.
Karim Benzema immediately punished Real Sociedad and showed brilliant ball control to score yet another goal for Real Madrid and put the game to bed. Mikel Merino successfully pulled a goal back with a brilliant finish with less than ten minutes to go but Real Madrid successfully saw out a few tense moments towards the end to go to the top of the La Liga table.
#1 Hit - Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid
Football historians may well look at Vinicius' performance today and claim that this match heralded a new beginning for the Brazilian talent. Vinicius Jr. came of age today and was stunning both on and off the ball. The Brazilian winger looked the most likely to score in the first half and was unplayable on several occasions.
The talented forward embarked on a mesmerising run in the second half and drew a foul from Diego Llorente to win a penalty for Real Madrid. Vinicius was all over the pitch and completed dribble after dribble to sway the match in Real Madrid's favour.
The Brazilian youngster also put in an excellent shift in defence and used his pace to contribute to Real Madrid's cause. Vinicius also linked up very well with his compatriot and mentor Marcelo and put in one of his best performances in a Real Madrid shirt.
#2 Flop - Diego Llorente, Real Sociedad
Diego Llorente had a match to forget tonight and was a tormented soul in Real Sociedad's defence. While his defensive counterpart Robin Le Normand had a relatively good outing, Llorente struggled in the absence of his experienced partner Asier Illaramendi and failed to deal with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
The former Real Madrid youth prospect had a shaky first half and got himself into a few tight spaces. Llorente was uncomfortable on the ball and was rushed by Real Madrid's stars on several occasions in the first half.
Diego Llorente was beaten all ends up by Vinicius Jr. early in the second half and gave away the penalty that secured Real Madrid's lead. The Spaniard still has a lot to learn and will have to improve to keep his place in the side.
#3 Hit - Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
Karim Benzema was in excellent form before the suspension of the league and seems unperturbed by the happenings around him. The Real Madrid striker has been the best player for his side this season and continued his excellent run of form with a well-taken goal in the second half.
The French forward's goal was checked by VAR and was found to be legal after Benzema used to shoulder to control the ball. Karim Benzema was highly influential in the final third and used his strength and skill to torment Real Sociedad's defence throughout the game.
Karim Benzema's golden touch has now seen him score in two of Real Madrid's three games since the restart of the La Liga season. With the Frenchman seemingly unable to put a foot wrong, Real Madrid may well fulfil Gerard Pique's prophecy and maintain its winning streak for the rest of the season.
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#4 Flop - Martin Odegaard, Real Sociedad
Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard has had a brilliant season so far but seems to be having a terrible time in the past few weeks. The Norwegian youngster has been a shadow of his former self since the La Liga restart and produced yet another disappointing performance today against his parent club.
Odegaard occasionally did well to find himself in useful spaces between the lines but struggled against Casemiro and failed to make the right decisions and gave away the ball on several occasions. Real Madrid succeeded in suffocating the creative midfielder and ensured that he had a miserable outing.
Odegaard was heavily criticised after Real Sociedad's shock defeat to Alaves earlier this week and will need to pull his socks up to give his side a shot at European football next season.
#5 Hit - Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos seems to have made a habit of showing up when his side needs him the most and calmly slotted in a second-half penalty and added to his substantial goal tally this season.
The Real Madrid stalwart was brilliant in defence in the first half and ensured that Alexander Isak struggled in the final third. Sergio Ramos was the beating heart of his side and marshalled his troops brilliantly to secure a crucial victory for Real Madrid.
The Spanish defender scored the 68th goal of his career and surpassed Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman to become the highest-scoring defender in the history of La Liga. The Real Madrid captain limped off with an injury soon after his goal in the second half and Zinedine Zidane will hope that the star defender recovers quickly and takes his place in the side.
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