Real Madrid clocked up their eighth successive La Liga win on Saturday evening as they beat neighbours Rayo Vallecano 5-1 at the Bernabeu.

The home side led 2-0 after 40 minutes courtesy of goals from the returning Gareth Bale and captain for the night Sergio Ramos, but Alberto Bueno's strike in first-half stoppage time gave the visitors hope of a comeback.

Los Blancos put the game to bed in the early stages of the second half, however, with goals from Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema quickly handing the hosts a three-goal lead.

Cristiano Ronaldo also got in on the act late on, with the Portuguese making it five after 83 minutes.

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

Match statistics

REAL MADRID
Shots: 16
On target: 11
Possession: 44%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 12

RAYO
Shots: 15
On target: 6
Possession: 56%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 15

Was the result fair?

Rayo shaded the possession and had just one fewer attempt than Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, but lost the encounter 5-1. Football ey?! In truth, it is a really difficult match to explain. The visitors gave a strong account of themselves and caused the hosts problems, but they have been on the end of a bit of a hiding. The game was delicately poised at the interval after Bueno had reduced the score to 2-1 late in the first period, but the home side put the game to bed in the early stages of the second period. Rayo continued to cause problems as the match advanced, but they conceded a poor fifth goal, with Ronaldo's effort allowed to trickle through the arms of goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez. Real Madrid certainly deserved to claim all the points, but the scoreline is perhaps a touch harsh on Rayo, who contributed to what was an entertaining affair in the capital.

Real Madrid's performance

Another match, another thumping win for Real Madrid. Bale gave his side the perfect start after nine minutes, but it would be fair to say that the home side failed to build on their early goal. Instead, it was Rayo that came on stronger, but Los Blancos' second goal five minutes before the break opened up a two-goal lead. The drama was not finished in the first period as Bueno capitalised on a mistake to net in stoppage time, but Real Madrid made it 3-1 and then 4-1 within the space of four minutes early in the second period.

Due to Rayo's attacking instincts, there was always going to be space for the home side to exploit, but they had to wait until the 83rd minute for Ronaldo to score their fifth goal. That said, Real Madrid's third goal was offside, while their fifth was avoidable from the away side's point of view. Carlo Ancelotti's side certainly still have a few more gears to explore, but they managed to score five times, which is worrying for their rivals in both La Liga and indeed the Champions League.

Rayo's performance

It is difficult to be anything other than positive about Rayo's approach to this match. They are one of the only teams in Europe, let alone Spain, that were always going to attack Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, but it was their willingness to commit players forward that ultimately proved their undoing. It could, however, have been a different story. The impressive Leo Baptistao thought that he had levelled in the early stages of the second period, but the linesman's flag was raised. Moments later, Real Madrid were down the other end, with Kroos finding the bottom corner for their third. At 3-1, the visitors were still in the match, but just before the hour, Benzema converted from an offside position to make it four.

Those two goals in quick succession ended the match as a contest, but that did not harm Rayo's willingness to commit players forward in an attempt to worry the Real Madrid defence. There was some naive defending from the visitors and a lack of positioning at times, but the luck was certainly not with them in the capital. As shown in the statistics, they had more of the ball and just one fewer attempt than Real Madrid. How it ended 5-1 is a mystery, but Paco Jemez will certainly take the positives.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese netted late on, but he would have gained this award regardless. The fact that he has now scored 18 league goals this season is an added bonus, but Ronaldo was all about the team at the Bernabeu. The attacker has never really been known for his assists, but that has improved this season, with the 29-year-old setting up Kroos and Benzema for their goals early in the second period. He had a frustrating night in front of goal, but eventually the former Manchester United winger found the back of the net late on courtesy of some suspect goalkeeping from Alvarez.

Biggest gaffe

James Rodriguez has been in sensational form for Real Madrid in recent weeks, but the Colombian had a bit of a nightmare in the latter stages of the first period. After collecting a quick throw from Keylor Navas, James turned into trouble and attempted to return the ball to his goalkeeper in a bid to keep possession. The pass did not have anywhere near enough on it, however, which allowed Baptistao to nip in and find Bueno, who rounded Navas and finished for 2-1. It mattered little in terms of the final result, but it is not an incident that James will remember too fondly, it must be said.

Referee performance

Referee Pedro Perez had a fairly eventful night at the Bernabeu. The official caused controversy in the first period when he failed to award the home side a free kick after Mohammed Fatau, who was close to being the last man, had chopped down a charging Ronaldo. There were also a couple of dodgy offside calls, with Baptistao having a goal disallowed when the Brazilian appeared onside and Benzema converting from an offside position down the other end. Perez issued four yellow cards, meanwhile, all of which came to the visitors. Both managers will have had some misgivings with the official's display.

What next?

Real Madrid: La Liga returns on November 22 following the international break and Los Blancos will attempt to continue their stunning run away to Eibar.

Rayo: The capital side welcome high-flying Celta Vigo in the league on November 23.