Real Madrid: 5 takeaways from 1-0 win over Real Valladolid

Real Madrid owe Thibaut Courtois everything

Thibaut Courtois was the well-deserving official Man of the Match for Real Madrid from this 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, racking up his second clean sheet of the season in three games after having the highest percentage of clean sheets in La Liga last season, per FBRef.com.

The Belgian shot-stopper made a trio of strong saves against Valladolid, including two saves straight out of the top drawer. His save at the near post was particularly impressive, as it took great strength and reach to stymie that attempt. Courtois also made a top-notch save of a counterattack earlier in the match with the score at 0-0, as the defense was completely sliced open by the away side.

Without Courtois, Real Madrid wouldn’t have won this match. Vinicius Junior changed the game as a substitute, scoring a goal and causing all sorts of problems for Real Valladolid with his work rate. But Courtois made sure Los Blancos were in a position where that could happen in the first place.

It seems like Courtois pulls off at least one world-class save every week, as he had a couple of big stops against Los Verdiblancos on Saturday night despite conceding two goals overall. The Man of the Match on Matchday 4, Courtois will be riding high heading into the Levante fixture and the ensuing international break.