Real Madrid moved three points clear at the top of the La Liga table with a 3-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday.
Goals from Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo saw Los Blancos lead by two goals inside the opening 14 minutes.
Las Palmas had hope of a reprieve when Hernan registered in the 38th minute, but Jese Rodriguez hit a third for Real Madrid before the interval as the hosts moved clear of Barcelona.
Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action in the Spanish capital.
Match statistics
REAL MADRID
Shots: 17
On target: 11
Possession: 52%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 12
LAS PALMAS
Shots: 8
On target: 5
Possession: 48%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 9
Was the result fair?
While this was a routine home win for Real Madrid, there is no question that Las Palmas showed that they belong at this level. It was a match where the first goal was always going to be important and when it came for Real Madrid inside the opening four minutes, Las Palmas looked to be in trouble. A second quickly followed, but the visitors had their moments in the first period and indeed managed to register in the 38th minute. At that point, they needed to get to the break just 2-1 behind, but Jese's strike two minutes before the interval once again established a two-goal lead for the home team.
Las Palmas continued to press forward in the second period and certainly had opportunities to score a second, but it is difficult to say that Real Madrid were ever in danger of throwing the game away. The second 45 minutes was actually extremely uneventful aside from the odd chance here and there, with the damage having already been done. Las Palmas can be pleased with their overall performance in Madrid, but in terms of fairness, the correct team picked up all the points.
Real Madrid's performance
There is no question that it is currently a testing period of the season for Rafael Benitez, who is still without a number of first-team regulars. Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema would all have strong cases to make Benitez's first-choice XI, but all five were unavailable once again. Los Blancos still have a squad full of talented players, however, and they had too much for Las Palmas this afternoon. It was a bright start from the hosts and they needed just four minutes to open the scoring, with Isco collecting a pass from Casemiro before sliding past Javi Varas.
Los Blancos continued to dominate proceedings as play developed and had their second in the 14th minute when Ronaldo met a searching Marcelo cross. Las Palmas had been beaten 7-0 on their last visit to the Bernabeu and it looked as if a repeat could be occurring. Jese and Isco both had excellent chances to score in the build-up to the break, but poor defending from a corner saw Hernan register for Las Palmas. There was no real wobble from Benitez's team, however, who practically went straight down the other end and scored a third courtesy of Jese's arrowed effort into the bottom corner.
Borja Mayoral and Marcos Llorente came on for their first-team league debuts in a second period that passed without too many opportunities for the home team. Ronaldo could have had a couple more in the second 45 minutes, but he was twice denied by Varas and also guilty of missing the target from a tight angle. As it transpired, it was a game that Los Blancos were more than happy to manage with their 3-1 lead in tact. There were plenty of positives with Jese in excellent form for the home side, while another three points and another game without defeat has moved them clear at the summit.
Las Palmas' performance
It was been a difficult start to the season for Las Palmas, but after sacking Paco Herrera and bringing in Quique Setien, there were plenty of positives in last week's 0-0 draw with Villarreal. Their improvement under Setien was once again shown at the Bernabeu as they gave as good as they got for long spells. At the back, there are still some problems that need addressing, but the Yellows have more than enough quality in the final third to cause teams plenty of issues this season.
As mentioned, falling 2-0 behind inside 14 minutes was not quite what Setien would have wanted, but the response from the Canary Islanders was strong. Nabil El-Zhar grew into the match as play developed, while Jonathan Viera had Las Palmas' first real chance in the 20th minute, when he brought a smart stop from Kiko Casilla. There is no question that the visitors deserved their goal in the latter stages of the first period, but it was too easy for Jese to go down the other end and score. It might well have been a different game in the second half if the score was just 2-1 at the break, but 3-1 made it very tough.
Willian Jose, who struggled in the first period, came close to scoring a second for Las Palmas following a short free kick in the early stages of the second half, but his effort brought a smart stop from Casilla. The visitors continued to press forward as play developed, but they needed their goalkeeper Varas to make a couple of excellent saves. A trip to Real Madrid was never going to define their season and in all honesty, the powers-that-be would not have earmarked this game as one that the club could win. However, their overall performance in Madrid suggests that better results are just around the corner.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jese Rodriguez: Benitez recently called on the Spaniard to realise his potential following a frustrating 12 months and the attacker has been in good form in recent weeks. That was once again the case in Madrid as he scored the home side's third in an excellent all-round performance. The 22-year-old's pace on the counter was a real problem for Las Palmas and he also played a key role in Los Blancos opening the scoring.
Biggest gaffe
Las Palmas must be praised for their overall performance, but a poor period of play saw them fall behind inside four minutes. Goalkeeper Varas played a goal-kick short and the visitors never seemed in control of the ball, which allowed Jese to step in before finding Casemiro, who simply laid one into Isco for the opening goal. Mistakes of that magnitude are often punished at this level of football.
Referee performance
Ronaldo might well have some words for referee Santiago Jaime after having a strong penalty appeal turned down in the second period, but the Spaniard, who issued just three yellows, had a largely solid afternoon in the capital. The fact that the game was so open and entertaining can partially be attributed to Jaime, who was more than prepared to let matters flow in the right areas.
What next?
Real Madrid: Los Blancos continue their Champions League campaign with a Group A match against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Their next league game is away to Sevilla next Sunday evening.
Las Palmas: Next up for Las Palmas is a home match against Real Sociedad on Friday.
Matt Law
