Real Madrid gained one of their most comfortable victories of the season against a highly disappointing Valencia at the Bernabeu on Saturday night, and one player in particular caught the eye after contributing to both goals.
Find out who with our full player ratings.
Courtois 6. Barely had anything to do as Valencia struggled to create anything, but made two great saves from offside shots.
Carvajal 9. Did superbly to force the own goal opener and remained a highly active presence until playing a key role in the second.
Varane 7. Kept Gameiro comfortably in his pocket and avoided the sloppy errors which have characterised his season.
Ramos 7. A powerful and no-nonsense display from the skipper, leading by example with tenacity and anticipation.
Reguilon 7. Purposeful and confident, looking far more experienced than a 21-year-old making only his third appearance.
Young defender Sergio Reguilon stepped up into the senior side and did well.
Modric 7. Troubled by a knock early on but overcame that to deliver a smooth performance before being replaced after tiring.
Llorente 7. Sharp and serious, covering every blade of grass and looking determined to earn a prolonged stint in the team.
Ceballos 7. Clever on the ball and excellent pressing to unsettle Valencia, looking more comfortable in this team with every game.
Vazquez 7. Solid and steady throughout, regularly troubling the visiting defence with his direct running and rewarded with a late goal.
Benzema 7. Came close with an early volley and proceeded to deliver a smooth display, including an assist for Vazquez’s late strike.
Bale 6. Came close after half an hour and threatened occasionally but not often enough and was replaced to a few whistles.
SUBS:
Asensio 7. Came on for Bale down the left with half an hour gone. Had a goalbound shot blocked and looked bright.
Valverde 6. Introduced into the midfield in place of Modric for the last 20 minutes. Busied himself to help his team home.
Isco N/A. Came on for the final 10 minutes to a mix of applause and jeers, and looked keen to make a good impression.
VALENCIA
Ezequiel Garay had a fine game against his former employers.
Neto 6. Made a brilliant point-blank save from Bale and had no chance with either goal. Distribution was sometimes suspect.
Wass 5. Unlucky to score an own goal with a close-range deflection but also struggled defensively and was substituted.
Garay 8. Held his team’s defence together with several important interventions including a superb block to deny Asensio a goal.
Gabriel 5. Made a nightmare start, getting booked and then failing to clear for the opener. Also skied a good set-piece chance.
Gaya 6. Tried to be constructive down the left but lacked support, and struggled to contain Carvajal at the other end.
Soler 4. Totally ineffective on the right wing, offering little going forward and not enough defensively to help his team.
Coquelin 5. Kept things simple in possession but lacked the mobility to compete effectively with Madrid’s midfield and was replaced.
Parejo 6. Couldn’t initially contribute as his team was brushed aside, but grew in influence and created a great chance for Mina.
Guedes 4. Flattered to deceive, with some nice skilful touches in harmless areas but little end product. Faded to nothing.
Mina 5. Starved of service, he was anonymous in the first half. More involved after the break but blazed a great chance over.
Gameiro 4. Looked intimidated by Varane and appeared to lack confidence to express himself. Minimal impact before being replaced.
SUBS:
Piccini 6. Came on at right-back and tried to add more attacking thrust but only had a limited impact.
Kondogbia 5. Introduced into the centre of midfield but looked badly off the pace, regularly getting caught in possession.
Batshuayi 5. Came on for the final stages and had one offside shot saved but did very little else.
