Real Madrid welcomed Malaga to the Bernabeu on Saturday with Carlo Ancelotti's side already five points off the pace in La Liga.

The home team had to wait until the 46th minute to open the scoring through Angel di Maria, before Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty in stoppage time secured all the points.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics:

Real Madrid:
Shots: 20
On target: 15
Possession: 66%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 10

Malaga:
Shots: 3
On target: 1
Possession: 34%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 5

Was the result fair?

There is not any possible situation where anything other than three points for Real Madrid would have reflected what occurred in the Spanish capital this afternoon. The statistics - 20 attempts for Real Madrid to Malaga's three - tell their own story, with the home side in control of the match throughout the 90 minutes. The only surprise was that it was not more comprehensive.

Real Madrid's performance

The hosts struggled in the first period with Malaga defending in numbers and indeed causing problems on the break, but Ancelotti's side were much improved in the second half. Gareth Bale was not deemed fit enough to start, but he did appear from the bench - winning the late penalty for Ronaldo. Overall, those in connection with Real Madrid will be very happy with the events this afternoon.

Malaga's performance

Malaga entered the match on the back of a strong recent record in La Liga and they must be credited for their attacking stance, especially in the first period. However, they never looked likely to take something from the match, despite the fact that the score was just 1-0 until second-half stoppage time. In truth, they did not do anywhere near enough to deserve anything from their trip to the Spanish capital.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Willy Caballero: If there has been a better goalkeeping performance at the Bernabeu in the last five years, then I would like to see it. The Malaga keeper was simply outstanding this afternoon as he won his personal battle with Ronaldo until the very final minute. But for his contribution, this could have been six or seven.

Biggest gaffe of the match

Madrid might have picked up all three points this afternoon, but against better teams, they have to improve their finishing. It is difficult to be critical of a team that attacked so impressively, but Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata were both guilty of missing the target on a number of occasions.

Referee performance

Miguel Ayza had a steady 90 minutes of action this afternoon. He awarded just four yellow cards despite both teams guilty of a number of late challenges. The Spaniard also went unnoticed for large periods, which is always a good sign for a referee. The late penalty for Real Madrid was soft, but it would not have made much of a difference to the outcome.

What next?

Real Madrid: Ancelotti's side switch to Champions League action on Wednesday as they welcome Italian champions Juventus, before the small matter of the Clasico against Barcelona next weekend.

Malaga: Malaga will attempt to return to winning ways when they host Celta Vigo next Saturday afternoon.