Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 1-0 to move within four points of Barcelona in LaLiga. A brilliant goal from Fede Valverde sealed the tie.
In a very uneventful first half, Carlo Ancelotti's men were not able to create that much danger against a steady Athletic defense. Vinicius Jr played well.
Second half was much better as Vinicius Jr was more and more involved -and he even scored a goal that was eventually ruled out for offside - but the ball just would not go in, until Fede Valverde decided just how good he is, with a brilliant volley into the top corner.
Here are the player ratings from the match:
GK Thibaut Courtois
Was largely uninvolved all game, but whenever he was called upon, Thibaut Courtois came through with brilliant saves. Rating: 7
RB Fede Valverde
A great performance from Valverde. Did not need to do a lot defensively, but was heavily involved in the attack. Long-range passing and shooting for days, and one of those bullets went straight into the top corner. Game winner. Captain. Rating: 8.5
CB Raul Asencio
A fan favorite now - and rightfully so - good performance. Did not have much to do but went in with a few sliding challenges whenever needed. Had a nervy second half, though, when Sannadi came on and was keeping him occupied. He dealt with everything well, though. Rating 7
CB Antonio Rudiger
Steady feet in possession, did not need to do much out of it. Solid performance, nothing more. Went forwards quite a bit to score. Rating: 6.5
LB Eduardo Camavinga
Returned to left-back. Did not have much to do as Real Madrid usually controlled the entire match. Went more and more forward as the game went on. Rating: 7
DM Aurelien Tchouameni
Good performance from Tchouameni. Very good, actually, as he was very, very involved defensively. Lost possession a couple of times but the amount of crucial tackles that went unnoticed were huge for Los Blancos. Rating: 7
CM Luka Modric
Real Madrid's number 10 controlled the match. Had some brilliant passes, although was missing the final pass that usually sets him apart from others. Rating: 6.5
CM Dani Ceballos
Ceballos started for the first time since his long injury layoff, and controlled proceedings well. Made a few weird passes, but was generally tidy. Rating: 6.5
AM Jude Bellingham
Moved to his preferred role as a CAM and it gave Real Madrid a lot of balance. He had three incredible opportunities, none of which ended up in the back of the net. Should have got a penalty as well. He was generally very good and involved, especially in the second half. Tried to score and create, just could not find the net. Rating: 8
LW Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid's most involved player all game. Tried so many things in the first half - including a brilliant solo run into space for a long-range effort. Was very good overall, and had some really good and positive moments. Scored a brilliant - and I mean, brilliant - goal, but it was ruled out for a tight yet correct offside on Endrick. Very, very unlucky not to score, but he would not mind as long as Real Madrid win. Rating: 8.5
RW Rodrygo
Dribbled in tight spaces very neatly, and sometimes, he brought out the 'oohs and aahs' from the crowd, but was ineffective in front of goal yet again. Rating: 6.5
Substitutions:
CF Endrick
Came on for Dani Ceballos. Tried to do a lot of impossible thing - the true Endrick experience. Was unlucky to be called offside for Vinicius Jr's goal. Rating: 6
RW Brahim Diaz
Came on to score a winner. Saw Valverde score one. Rating: 6
CM Arda Guler
Was brought on in the final minutes of regulation, and tried to play the ball into the attack for more opportunities. Rating: 6
RB Lucas Vazquez
Came on for Asencio. Rating: 6