Real Madrid beat Granada 4-1 on Sunday as Tony Cruz gave them a footballing masterclass to temporarily top La Liga with two assists.
Marco Asensio, Nacho Fernandez, Vinicius Jr. and Ferland Mendy were the main targets, two points ahead of second-placed Sevilla and third-placed Real Sociedad, who will play Valencia after Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side got off to a great start and 25 minutes later Escencio and Nacho Cruz helped them to a 2-0 lead.
But Real panicked a few minutes later, when a shot from Luis Suarez deflected Nacho and saved Real keeper Thibaut Courtois, who slowly crossed the goal line and dived from left to right.
Hopes of a return to Granada were short-lived, however, as Real returned to the top after the break and Vinicius extended their lead, ending a beautiful team move involving Karim Benzema and Casimiro.
After dismissing Granada Manchu for an ugly sliding tackle on Vinicius, Mendy wrapped up scoring for the spectators.
"It's hard to come to terms after the international break but we are happy with our performance. We played a great game," Asensio told reporters after scoring his first goal since September.
"We have an intense schedule until Christmas (eight games in 30 days) and we need extra focus to get through this time," he added.
This is Real's third consecutive league win as the Spanish giants prepare to face Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League on Wednesday.
So far this season, the Moldavian club has lost to Real Madrid in the group stage, and lost 2-1 to the Spaniards at the Santiago Bernabeu in September.
Granada, who have won just two games this season, are bottom and third in the relegation zone.
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