Real Madrid won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday thanks to Marco Asensio, who broke Granada’s resolve and moved his team six points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Madrid were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in midweek and were frustrated for long periods against Granada without top scorer Karim Benzema.
However, the introduction of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic lifted Los Blancos, and Asensio finally broke through 16 minutes from time with a sublime long-range strike.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side now has a game in hand on second-placed Sevilla, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Osasuna on Saturday.
Thibaut Courtois was the busier of the keepers in the first half, keeping out Antonio Puertas’ low drive and was the busier of the keepers until a late flurry saw Asensio and Isco test Luis Maximiano.
Before the break, Madrid came closest to scoring when Carlos Neva turned Dani Carvajal’s cross against the underside of his own bar.
Granada has drawn twice with Barcelona this season, as well as beating Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, and they have continued to frustrate Madrid after the hour mark.
With 65 minutes gone, Ancelotti turned to Hazard and Jovic, and Madrid did not have to wait long for their pressure to pay off, with Asensio flashing a shot past Maximiano from 25 yards.
Asensio was denied a second by a fine Maximiano save, but his earlier strike proved enough to earn all three points.
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What does it mean? Madrid find a way
Second-place Sevilla’s stalemate at Osasuna provided Madrid a chance to give themselves some breathing space at the summit and they just about took advantage.
Los Blancos got the job done thanks to Asensio and have now won each of their past 14 league meetings with Granada, who remain two places above the relegation zone.
Asensio the hero
Without Benzema, who has scored 14 goals in 17 games against Granada in LaLiga, Madrid needed someone to step up and Asensio did exactly that.
He has now scored four goals from outside the box this season in all competitions, which is more than any other LaLiga player.
Camavinga the fall guy
Eduardo Camavinga was sacrificed at half-time to make way for Federico Valverde and it was a call that made sense from Ancelotti on the basis of the first half.
No Madrid player created more chances than Camavinga’s two during his time on the pitch, but he was caught out of position a couple of times, forcing others to cover in behind.
Key Opta Facts:
– Real Madrid have won their last 14 games against Granada in LaLiga, scoring at least four goals in five of the last eight. This is their longest ever winning streak against the Granadinos in the top-flight.
– Granada have won just one of their 26 visits to Real Madrid in LaLiga (D2 L23), winning 1-0 in January 1974, while only against Barcelona (89) have they conceded more away goals than against Los Blancos (84) in the competition.
– Carlo Ancelotti has won all six of his managerial LaLiga meetings with Granada, with his side scoring a total of 21 goals in these matches (an average of 3.5 per game). Against no other opponent does he have a better 100 per cent win rate as a manager in the division.
– Asensio has scored six goals in LaLiga this season, his joint-best tally in a single campaign (also six in 2017-18 in 32 games).
What’s next?
Madrid return to LaLiga action next Saturday with a trip to Villarreal, while Granada travel to Real Sociedad in a week’s time.
