Real Madrid piled on the pressure on Barcelona in the title chase thanks to a battling 3:0 win over Alaves. Karim Benzema, Isco and Nacho all found the back of the net as Zinedine Zidane’s men moved five points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Liga standings. Here are the player ratings for all the Madrid players in their 3:0 win against Alaves.
Kiko Casilla(7.5/10): Didn’t have a peaceful evening in goal. Starting ahead of first choice Keylor Navas, Casilla had to be really aware to prevent the opposition from scoring which he did exceptionally well.
Danilo(7.5/10): He was forced to move to the left back position early on due to the injury of Raphael Varane. Struggled to cope with the pressure of the opposition.
Pepe(7.5/10): Had to be very switched on. Pepe somehow managed to lead his side from the back despite the absence of Sergio Ramos.
Raphael Varane(NA): Suffered an unfortunate injury blow within the first 15 minutes. Got replaced by Carvajal.
Nacho(8/10): Solid and efficient, Nacho was one of the main defensive mainstays in the back for the home side. His rare goal finished off the game with a bit more gloss to the scoresheet.
Luka Modric(7/10): The Croatian international continues to struggle with form. He was subbed off for the fourth time in five matches. Such dip in form for a player of his calibre should be alarming for Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos(7/10): Unsurprisingly suffered to make an impact as he was forced to play as a holding midfielder in absence of Casemiro. Kroos really needs to be much more versatile in Midfield.
Isco(8.5/10): Amidst all the hot transfer speculations linking him with a move to fierce rivals Barcelona, Isco didn’t fail to miss a beat in the middle. His stunning finish late on in the game was vital for Zidane’s men.
Gareth Bale(8/10): His destructive free kick almost resulted in a wonder goal but it wasn’t the case. However, it did end up setting up Nacho’s goal just two minutes from time.
Cristiano Ronaldo(7/10): Failed to impose a threat for the Alaves defence. He did, however, tee up the goal by Isco.
Karim Benzema(9/10): It was a great game for Karim Benzema who seems to be in red hot form right now. Easily the best Madrid player going forward and also scored the all-important opening goal.
Subs
Danny Carvajal(8/10): Did have a troubled time keeping up with Theo Hernandez but was terrific when he went forward. Also had an all-important assist for his efforts.
Mateo Kovacic(7/10): Replaced his compatriot Luka Modric but the move didn’t bring any change of flow in the middle nor did it improve the dynamics.
