Real Madrid overcame the absence of injured Cristiano Ronaldo to cruise to a 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad.
Los Blancos survived a tough opening period to establish their superiority after Asier Illarramendi opened the scoring against his former club.
Gareth Bale, Pepe and substitute Alvaro Morata added more goals in the second period as Carlo Ancelotti’s team ultimately cruised to three points.
Sociedad made the brighter start and had efforts from Carlos Vela and Gorka Elustondo blocked inside the opening ten minutes, while Madrid’s first effort came when Isco’s attempted curler was deflected wide.
With the home team continuing to dominate, Diego Lopez made a sensational save from Vela which was wrongly pulled back for offside after Griezmann nodded on a near-post corner. Sociedad’s attacking duo again combined as Griezmann headed narrowly over the top from Vela’s teasing left wing cross.
Madrid were struggling to find any fluency in possession and their only meaningful effort as the game ticked towards the half-hour mark was a long-range free-kick from Gareth Bale which flew straight into the defensive wall.
The final ten minutes before the break finally saw the visiting team establish their authority, with Bale becoming much more of a threat after swapping positions with Isco to raid down the left wing.
Xabi Alonso – who, like Illarramendi, was playing against his former team – earned a yellow card and a suspension for a challenge on Vela, who then sparked back into life with a run and low skidding shot which Lopez saved comfortably.
A free-kick from Sergio Canales caused more danger as Madrid only half-cleared and the loose ball dropped to Griezmann whose strike was blocked by Illarramendi.
Then came the crucial opening goal, which was sparked when Bale found Karim Benzema on the left of the box. The Frenchman stepped inside a challenge to shoot and although Claudio Bravo made a save, the rebound was stabbed over the line by Illarramendi.
Bale sent a header wide and had a shot blocked before Alonso’s free-kick forced a good diving save from Bravo, with Madrid offering a much improved performance in the second half.
Benzema was denied a wonder goal when his sensational 25-yard left-footed strike crashed against the crossbar, but Madrid went two ahead midway through the second period when a terrible kick out from Bravo landed at the feet of Bale 30 yards from goal, and the Welshman promptly thrashed it back past the retreating goalkeeper with a spectacular strike.
For the first time, the visitors were now in total control and Benzema again went close with a low strike before Isco ran onto Dani Carvajal’s pass and had a dangerous shot blocked.
Disappointingly after their bright first half performance, Sociedad were unable to find any rhythm in the second period, with a pair of harmless efforts from Griezmann the sum of their efforts to get back into the game.
Ancelotti’s men gave their victory an emphatic sheen with a third goal five minutes from time, when Sergio Ramos headed a corner back across goal and fellow centre back Pepe steered home a left-footed volley from ten yards.
And Morata then made it four, running onto a sublime through ball from substitute Angel Di Maria and stroking a low shot past the helpless Bravo.
