La Liga, Elche vs Real Madrid: Player ratings

Iker Casillas: 6. Did he play? Elche never tested him, so it's hard to give him a grade for this match. Real Madrid kept a clean sheet for the third straight match, but this time Casillas had literally nothing to do with it. His only save came after an Elche shot that was wide anyway.

Dani Carvajal: 7. The canterano provided the intense defensive effort he always displays and also managed to combine well with Gareth Bale offensively. Carvajal is arguably the best right back in the world of football right now, and it would not make much sense for Real Madrid to spend money on Danilo, as reports suggest.

Pepe: 8. Titanic performance by Pepe. Elche could not get anything done on his side of the pitch. In form, he's a defensive wall. His contract extension should get done as soon as possible.

Raphaël Varane: 7. Varane took care of business as usual, preventing Elche from having chances through counterattacks. He relies a lot on his speed, but that's because it cannot be matched.

Marcelo: 8. The Brazilian left back is back. After a difficult 2013-2014 season, Marcelo is now the undisputed starter in the left flank of Real's defense. He likes to play alongside Isco and together they form a very dangerous partnership.

Kroos: 7. Standard job by Kroos, who did not shine while controlling the tempo of the game quite well. His positioning was excellent though, as he's starting to learn as a pure deep playmaker when Real Madrid turn the ball over.

Isco: 9. Assisted Cristiano Ronaldo on Real Madrid's second goal and relentlessly dribbled past defenders all game long. Earned a standing ovation from the Elche crowd when Ancelotti took him out of the match.

Lucas Silva: 7. He got the job done and completed a much better performance than the one he displayed in Germany. He's ahead of Illarramendi in Real Madrid's rotation and it's not hard to see why, as he tries to make plays with the ball while taking good care of it as well.

Gareth Bale: 7. The Welsh attacker is defending well but he is lacking his classic touch to score during this three-game winning streak. His overall contribution has improved a lot lately though.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 8. The Portuguese scored Real Madrid's second goal after missing good opportunities on the first half. He has regained that power and is now a threat on Real's left flank once again. He looks sharp.

Karim Benzema: 9. Notched up the opening goal that paved the way for Real's win and combined brilliantly with his teammates throughout the whole game. He wasn't playing at his best recently but today he put on a better performance.

Illarramendi, Arbeloa and Jesé did not get enough playing time to make an impact on the game.