Casemiro and Luka Modric were the scorers as Real Madrid earned a 2-0 victory over Sevilla at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
The goalscorers feature highly in our player ratings, which also has high marks for Sevilla’s back three which stood firm before Casemiro’s thunderous strike broke the deadlock.
Find out how all the players rated from a wet and cold afternoon in Madrid here…
Real Madrid
Courtois 6. Returned from injury but only had one straightforward save to make. Eased his way back into action.
Carvajal 7. A regular attacking threat, and generally solid at the back although caught out of position for Sevilla’s best chance.
Varane 6. Solid in defence but didn’t really find himself tested as Sevilla struggled to mount an attacking threat.
Ramos 7. Commanding and powerful performance in the centre of defence, keeping Silva comfortably in check.
Reguilon 6. Again preferred to Marcelo, and delivered a steady but unspectacular performance – which is exactly why he is playing.
Modric 8. Easily the game’s most eye-catching performer, consistently threatening and capping his display with a well-taken goal.
Casemiro 7. Mopped up in front of the back four, and came forward to fire home the opener with a sumptuous strike from 25 yards.
Ceballos 6. Worked hard without the ball and showed plenty of attacking intent, firing one thunderbolt against the bar.
L Vazquez 5. Got into good positions down the right but generally let down by poor final ball. Faded and was replaced by Isco.
Benzema 6. Linked play well at times but lacked goal threat. A ‘nice’ performance but he needs a bit more ‘nasty’.
Vinicius 6. Twice threatened early on and sparked several attacks, but also plenty of loose touches in a promising but frustrating display.
A frustrating display from Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes
Isco 6. Brought on for the final 15 minutes to applause from the crowd. Tried to get involved but didn’t have much influence.
Valverde 6. Entered the fray for the final five minutes and shored things up in the centre of the pitch.
Sevilla
Vaclik 6. Made routine saves from Vinicius and Benzema and got a strong hand on Casemiro’s goal, unlucky not to make a remarkable save.
Carrico 7. Defended well, regularly helping to stop Vinicius’s runs inside. Booked for cynically stopping a Vinicius break.
Kjaer 8. Calm and authoritative in the centre of Sevilla’s back three. Excellent showing from a man who did not deserve to lose.
Gomez 7. Played well on the left of defence, getting in the right place to make several key clearances in dangerous positions.
Navas 6. Led Sevilla’s charge down the right, but his attacking opportunities were limited by the need to cover the dangerous Vinicius.
Sarabia 5. Well below the high standards he has set this season, drifting through the game without any notable contribution.
Banega 5. Sloppy in the opening stages, and disappeared in the second half. Robbed by Modric for the second goal.
F Vazquez 6. Produced some wonderful silky touches in the opening period but did nothing after the break, fading badly like his team.
Escudero 5. Squandered the best chance of the first half and made little impact, with the game largely passing him by.
Ben Yedder 5. Received little of the ball but tried to link play when he could, setting up Escudero’s change. Subbed after 70 minutes.
Silva 4. Had a header saved in the first half but did little else, struggling to get any change out of Ramos. Replaced by Munir.
Substitutes
Promes 5. The first substitution made by either side, coming on for the final 20 minutes. Minimal involvement down the left.
Munir 5. Former Barcelona man replaced Silva in attack but couldn’t improve Sevilla’s toothless forward play.
Gil 5. A last throw of the dice from Sevilla boss Pablo Machin, but the teenager barely had a touch.
