Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano, La Liga 2014-15: Player Ratings

Navas: 6 - It was quite a surprise to see Navas start the game and it was an interesting performance from the Costa Rican goalkeeper. He missed an aerial ball which almost led to a goal but other than that played well and made some decent stops particularly one from a Leo Baptistao shot in the early stages.

Nacho: 7 - Another refreshing addition to see in the starting XI was Nacho. The Spanish defender had a fairly quiet game going forward as he wasn't very involved in Madrid's play in possession but was always solid on defence and ended the game with the joint-most tackles.

Pepe: 7 - An energetic display from the 31 year old centre back. He was charging through the midfield at times and produced an assist by doing so. By contrast, his defensive performance wasn't as great as it has been but it certainyl wasn't bad as he contributed with a couple of important interceptions.

Ramos: 9 - Another colossal performance by the Real Madrid defender. His form has been very good and he followed it up with another top display. Yet another goal from a set piece was complimented with great defensive play racking up the most clearances and interceptions whilst winning more aerial duels and free-kicks than anyone else.

Marcelo: 7 - In comparison to recent outings it was a reasonably quiet game going forward for Marcelo despite having a few nice dribbles - perhaps the result of Isco's absence for the majority of the match. Regardless, he was again solid on defence winning the joint-most tackles with Nacho and completing many clearances too.

Kroos: 9 - The midfield conductor was magnificent once more today. Even though Rayo had more posssession Kroos' passing was still immaculate with a 94% - the highest of any starter - completion rate. Defensively he put in a great shift without the ball. Furthermore, he scored a cracking goal, placed an assist and made more key passes than anyone else.

Modric: 6 - He had less of an influence on the game with his performance today compared to previous outings as well as missing a great chance to score. That said, he helped Kroos in the midfield as per usual and made some great dribbles when Los Blancos were attacking.

James: 5 - Not at his best today. He made an error which led to Rayo's only goal by literally passing them the ball. It's not a big deal though, perhaps he just needed a rest as he's played a lot of minutes this season. His crossing was good though and he had a great long-range shot to test Alvarez in the 38th minute.

Bale: 8 - It was a good all action performance from Gareth today. He scored early on to give Real the instant advantage as well as completing 5 take-ons which was more than anyone else. He always looked dangerous too and his raw pace couldn't be dealt with by the Rayo back line. Defensively he contributed nearly nothing and his passing was a bit sloppy too at times.

Ronaldo: 9 - Another outstanding performance by the Portugese phenom. A goal, two assists, 3 key passes and 3 successful take-ons completed a generally well-rounded offensive performance. His passing also could have done with a bit of work though as it was often inaccurate.

Benzema: 7 - He scored yet another goal to keep his incredible goalscoring run going - albeit being miles offside - and was quite unlucky not to have another with a superb header which bounced off the woodwork. Other than that, I noticed he was a little less prolific with his link-up play today than in recent outings.

Subs:

Isco: 6 - He came on in the 67th minute and bagged himself an assist with a nice ball through the defence to Cristiano.

Medran & Chicharito had insufficient minutes.

Man of the Match: - Toni Kroos. A magnificent performance capped off with his first goal for Real Madrid!