Three reasons why Real Madrid defeated Espanyol

Gareth Bale returned from injury and helped his side register their third consecutive win in the LaLiga. Two goals from Benzema and one each from Bale and Ramos were enough for the Madrid side to climb up to the third position in the league table.

Santiago Solari’s men showed grit and hunger to pull off a difficult win. Real Madrid have looked threatening while going forward but their backline lacks stability and it showed up yesterday when Varane got a red card. As a team, they need better defending which will push them closer to Barcelona in the league table.

Modric ran the show and it was his curling shot which was blocked by the keeper only for Benzema to score from the rebound. He played a key role in the second goal too as he put in a cross of which Ramos scored.

Here are the three reasons why Real Madrid won.

#1. Finding their killer instinct back

The win moved Real to third place in the table

Real Madrid had won their previous four LaLiga matches by a margin of one goal. This statistic shows how vulnerable they are in the league and how brittle their defense is. So putting in four goals against a good Espanyol side will give them a great deal of confidence going forward.

The work-rate shown by the players will be acknowledged by Solari as he has not had that luxury since long. Bale’s return from injury added the much-needed pace into the forward line. But more than any technical aspects, it was the way in which players fought until the end that will delight the coach.

Solari needs some consistency from his players if his team were to close the gap between them and Barcelona. Currently Real its third position in the table pushing Sevilla to fourth.

#2. Clinical Benzema

Benzema hardly gets credit to his work as most of his work at Real Madrid has always been underappreciated. During the time when Ronaldo was around, Ronaldo grabbed all the headlines and Benzema’s efforts were not recognized by many fans.

Then came the Bale-signing which made Benzema take 3rd position in the pecking order. Having said, Benzema struggled to find his touch this season which resulted in Madrid's string of poor performances.

However, his performance on Sunday will remind the fans of his importance to this team. He provided Madrid a focal point to release balls from the pressure zones and was always available at the end of creative passes from the middle.

His hold-up play was excellent. He, in tandem with Modric and Kroos, enjoyed a great deal of possession in the danger areas. The two goals he scored were also timed properly. The first one was so fast (in the 4th minute) that it put Espanyol into shatters initially.

The second one just on the stroke of half-time(in the 45th minute) again gave Espanyol no time to react.

#3. Modric ran the show

Luka Modric has not been the same player he was at the World Cup or the last season in the league. His pace has dropped. He has become predictable with his passing. However, on Sunday, he again showed that when it comes to being creative in his passing, he still is right up there.

He played a part in two of three first-half goals which helped Madrid to dictate the game from the kick-off. Modric and Kroos went forward in a rotation and both had an excellent understanding of the game.

After Varane’s sending-off in the 72nd minute, Modric took the responsibility of organizing the defense and at the same time contributing to the forward play.

Next up for Real Madrid is the quarter-final second leg of the Copa Del Rey against Girona on Thursday. Solari would love to see the same kind of intensity his players showed today.