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A second half strike by Casemiro was enough to give Real Madrid a narrow victory over Real Valladolid at the José Zorrilla stadium.
Zinedine Zidane made two changes from the side that saw off Valencia last weekend, with Lucas Vazquez and Mariano Diaz coming in for the Dani Carvajal and Karin Benzema respectively. Both men were sidelined by injury concerns.
The hosts started the game on the front foot and forced Thibaut Courtois into a fantastic double save in the 7th minute.
An open first half saw both sides fashion good chances, although neither side managed to break the deadlock at half-time.
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It was more of the same in the second half. as despite Real Madrid controlling most of the possession, they failed to make their dominance count.
Los Blancos, however, got a goal 20 minutes into the second half when Casemiro rose highest to head home a freekick by the impeccable Toni Kross.
This proved to be the match-winner.
Although Valladolid had some presentable opportunities to draw level, Real Madrid held on to secure all three points and move closer to Atletico Madrid.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Title race on in La Liga
Atletico Madrid were seemingly running away with La Liga as recently as two weeks ago. However, a poor run of form in recent weeks has seen Los Colchoneros drop crucial points and lose their advantage at the summit.
Diego Simeone's side lost at home for the first time in over a year, to Levante, which saw them fail to increase their advantage over Real Madrid.
Their city rivals came into this fixture knowing that a win against Real Valladolid would see them close the gap to Atleti and they ultimately got the job done.
Despite not playing at their best, Real did enough to secure all three points and ultimately, that was all that mattered.
The victory means that Real Madrid and now just three points behind Atletico having played a game more. Even Barcelona and Sevilla, 3rd and 4th respectively, could be in with a shout at the title if they secure victories on Sunday.
This means that the title race has become much tighter, which was hardly fathomable few weeks ago.
#4 Real Valladolid get punished for failing to take their chances against Real Madrid
Despite having less of the ball, Real Valladolid fashioned much better goalscoring chances than Real Madrid.
The hosts forced Thibaut Courtois into smart saves as early as the 7th minute, although one of Fabian Orellana or Saidy Janko should have buried their opportunity.
In many ways, this set the tone for what was to follow, as it proved to be a case of the hosts fashioning presentable chances without making them count.
Orellana had another wonderful chance to score 10 minutes into the second half after Ferland Mendy's ill-timed cross-field ball into the box left him with only Courtois to beat.
The 35-year-old, however, volleyed straight at the Real Madrid goalkeeper when he truly should have done better.
In total, the hosts had nine shots with five of those on target compared to the two on target registered by the defending champions.
Ultimately, elite sides like Real Madrid punish you when you fail to take your chances and Real Valladolid witnessed it first hand.
#3 Karim Benzema's absence leaves Real Madrid toothless in attack
Karim Benzema has been the driving force for Real Madrid this season but was ruled out of the trip to Real Valladolid with a knock.
This leaves Zinedine Zidane sweating on the Frenchman's fitness ahead of the crucial Champions League fixture with Atalanta.
Meanwhile, Mariano Diaz was handed a rare start in Benzema's absence but the former Lyon man failed to make the most of it.
The 27-year-old was practically a specatator for most of the game and did not offer much before his substitution in the 66th minute.
Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio did not do too much either side of him, leaving Jordi Masip relatively untested for most of the game.
This disjoined performance in attack once again highlighted why Karim Benzema is such an important asset to Real Madrid.
Fans of the club will be hoping he gets back to full fitness as soon as possible.
#2 Impressive Thibaut Courtois steps up when called upon
Real Madrid's lack of attacking bite has meant that their defense has had to play a crucial role in the last two years.
In the absence of Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal, this put extra pressure on Thibaut Courtois to step up and the Belgium international did so with a stunning display between the sticks.
He was called into action as early as the 7th minute when he had to produce a stunning double save to keep out Orellana and Janko.
There was another reflex save to keep out Orellana from point-blank range 10 minutes into the second half.
In reality, both men should not have given Courtois a chance to make a save, although the 27-year-old deserves praise for stepping up when it mattered.
In total, the Real Madrid keeper made five saves in the match which proved to be the difference between securing the victory and dropping points.
#1 Casemiro steps up to the plate for Real Madrid once again
Casemiro is primarily known for his defensive solidity and it is in his position as an enforcer that he has made a name for himself with Real Madrid.
This season, however, has seen the Brazil international chip in with crucial goals and this proved to be the case against Real Valladolid.
The former Porto man was guilty of missing two glit-edged headers in both halves but it proved to be a case of third time lucky for Casemiro.
He has shown a particular penchant for headers and this was his 5th La Liga goal of the season for the capital side.
This makes Casemiro Real Madrid's second highest goalscorer in the league, further highlighting his importance to the club at both ends.
