Player ratings: Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Real Madrid; LaLiga 2020/21

It was another must-win match for Real Madrid as they faced Athletic Bilbao away from home and Nacho helps Zinedine Zidane’s men keep the title race tight heading into the last match of the season.

See full player ratings below.

Thibaut Courtois — 7: Made himself big multiple times. Will be happy with the work of Nacho and Militão in front of him. Finished with one save and a low 77 per cent pass completion rate. Earns another clean sheet.

Alvaro Odriozola — 6.7y5: Earned the start with Marvin Park unavailable and had a decent showing. Offered himself up in the attack but that often left across of space for the hosts o exploit (give and take here). Played the full match which was good. Finished with 97 per cent pass completion and one key pass.

Eder Militão — 7: Another match that sees him cement himself as a future staple for Madrid’s backline. Read any threats and wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line to stop Athletic Bilbao. Finished with a 90 per cent pass completion rate, one shot, two aerials won.

Nacho — 7.5: Who said Nacho was finished? Embodied the Madrid spirit here by scoring the winning goal with his knee. Why he was so far up we will never know but does it matter? Lacked a bit defensively though. Finished with two shots and a 95 per cent pass completion rate.

Miguel Gutiérrez — 7.5: Castilla man earned the start over Marcelo which says a lot. Had a good showing and also played the entire match. One of the better defensive performances statistically. Finished with four dribbles, four aerials won, one key pass and two tackles.

Casemiro — 8: Another workhorse performance from Casemiro, what else is new? Set up Nacho for the winner. Showed good awareness to help Madrid move forward and even hit the woodwork himself. Finished with one shot, one dribble, two key passes and one tackle.

Fede Valverde — 7.75: Was one of the players on the pitch pushing Madrid forward all match. Persistence was key tonight. Covered almost every inch of ground and played the full 90 as well which is great to see. Finished with one shot, 94 per cent pass completion rate, one dribble, one aerial won and two tackles.

Luka Modric — 8.5: Nacho might be the man of the match but without Toni Kroos, Modric pulled the strings in the midfield alone tonight and carried the team. Finished with two shots, 94 per cent pass completion, one aerial won, four key passes, three tackles. Try 35 years young.

Rodrygo — 6.25: Very quiet in the time he was on the pitch tonight making only a few darting runs. Wasn’t as influential as he needed to be. Finished with one shot, 94 per cent pass completion rate, one dribble and one tackle. Subbed after 77 minutes.

Karim Benzema — 7.25: The main focal point in attack for Real Madrid and did his best alongside lacklustre wingers up top. Managed to act as a screen for Nachos goal (funny enough). Finished with two shots, two dribbles and one aerial won.

Vini Jr. — 6.5: Once again had a sub-par performance tonight. Couldn’t spark enough creativity alongside Benzema and Rodrygo. Finished with one shot, one key pass and four dribbles. Subbed after 59 minutes.

Substitutes:

Marco Asensio — 6: Came on for Vini but didn’t offer much as a substitute himself. Feels like he's flip-flopping between being at his best or at his worse.

Eden Hazard — 6: Played the final 13 minutes but couldn’t make a difference to help Madrid secure the win. Finished with one dribble.