For others, it was a controversial game. For us Madridistas, it’s another three points and a big stride towards the La Liga title. Real Madrid got back to winning ways against Celta after the El Clásico debacle, it was a game where Los Blancos just edged past the Galicians after scoring from two penalties out of three. We take a look at the Real Madrid player ratings from the win at Balaidos:

Thibaut Courtois (8/10): Real Madrid owe the win to Courtois! He made three crucial saves, one from a swerving free-kick from Iago Aspas. Won his much deserved “King of the Match” at the end of the match.

Ferland Mendy (7/10): Defensively sound but couldn’t produce much in attack to contain Brais Mendez. Won Real’s third penalty which was converted by Benzema.

David Alaba (5/10): Had the least touches (43) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes. Couldn’t produce much in the back and conceded the goal. Contained Aspas effectively and made him harmless for the Madrid defense.

Eder Militao (5.5/10): The disallowed goal for Celta was due to the courtesy of Militao who provided space in front of Galhardo. Made two crucial interceptions and six recoveries. Substituted off in the 85th minute.

Lucas Vasquez (6/10): Made some good runs from the back to bring the ball forward. Made two key passes and created a big chance in front of goal. He needs to improve while defending. Substituted off in the 60th minute.

Casemiro (7.5/10): Made two key passes and an interception. Won the most duels in the match with a high of 8. Made nine recoveries.

Luka Modric (5/10): Didn’t have much to do in the midfield in a match where Celta gave a tough fight. Attempted a shot from distance but was saved by the Celta goalie. Was fouled three times and made two recoveries. An unusual day in the office for Luka.

Toni Kroos (5/10): Finished the game with a passing accuracy of 94%. Supplied his long ball from the left to the right several times to build on the pressure. Made the same impact as that of his midfield partner, Luka Modric.

Marco Asensio (3/10): Another poor performance from the Spaniard. Made a few flicks and turns but couldn’t make an impact on the game.

Vinicius Jr. (4/10): Vini has long passed his purple patch now. Lost the most duels in the game (13).

Karim Benzema (7/10): Scored from the two penalties but missed one. Dropped down on several occasions to break the impenetrable Celta defense. Had a total of five shots.

SUBSTITUTES

Rodrygo Goes (5/10): Came on replacing Asensio. Won a penalty after zipping into the area where Murillo fouled him. Made quick runs from the right and made a more significant impact than that of Asensio.

Dani Carvajal (3/10): Suffered in defense. Was unable to contain the Celta players.

Fede Valverde (4.5/10): Brought some pace and energy to the slow midfield. Couldn’t make much of an impact.

Dani Ceballos -NA: Had only seven minutes to play so was unable to make his mark.

Nacho- NA: Had only seven minutes to play so was unable to make his mark.