Real Madrid closed the gap at the top of La Liga to six points after coming from behind to beat Espanyol 3-1.
A run of three games without a victory is a crisis at Real Madrid, and a slow start did very little to relieve the tension in the Spanish capital, as Los Blancos fell behind inside the opening eight minutes.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men had started incredibly poorly by their standards, but seemed awakened after nearly falling two behind, relying on Thibaut Courtois to keep out Vinícius Souza’s close-range header.
Read Also
The reigning champions kept up the pressure and forced Espanyol deep into their own half, but it was a set-piece that eventually breached their rearguard and sent Real in at the break ahead.
Having scored just once in their last three games, Real continued to struggle in front of goal with their exploits limited to efforts from range.
Kroos fired over the bar, before Rodrygo’s free-kick cannoned off it, but Real comfortably kept Espanyol at bay until the closing stages, when the visitors’ pressure intensified.
Even so, Courtois remained relatively untroubled as Los Blancos held on for a precious three points – a result that was rubber stamped by a stoppage time strike from Marco Asensio inside the box after being teed up by Dani Ceballos.
A first league win in three keeps Real in touch with Barcelona at the summit, while Espanyol remain just two points clear of the drop zone after losing consecutive away games in La Liga for the first time this season.
