Three stats from Real Madrid’s 3-0 thrashing of Elche

Real Madrid maintained their top spot in LaLiga by seeing off Elche at the Estadio Martínez Valero with a strong side that ran out 3-0 victors thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde and Marco Asensio.

Here are three stats from the tie that illustrate the key takeaways.

6: Consecutive away wins to start a season for the second time ever

With this win, Real Madrid extended their unbeaten run on the road at the start of this season, with six consecutive away wins in LaLiga. That’s only the second time that has EVER happened, with the only previous occasion being 1991/92.

It is also the first time since October 2017 that Real Madrid have strung together six away victories in a row. Carlo Ancelotti has matched that feat which came under Zinedine Zidane at a time when building work has forced his team away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for prolonged periods and across the start of a season.

This Real Madrid team know how to play and perform under pressure and this run of away form is only the latest piece of evidence that shows that they can most certainly handle the heat.

3: Goals from outside the box from Fede Valverde, more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues

As Fede Valverde sent a rasping effort into the back of the net from distance, there was a remarkable familiarity to seeing the Uruguayan dynamo score from distance. And that’s not something anyone would have expected us to be saying even only a couple of months ago.

The strike took his tally to six goals in his last 15 games, which is equal to his number of goals across the previous 148 matches. From a midfielder who did little to contribute directly in front of goal, he has now become one of the team’s most potent attacking threats.

What’s more, this was his third goal from outside the box this season, more than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues. That is a lethal element of Real Madrid’s offensive game which simply didn’t exist in the past and adds to what the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić offer, with neither of the legendary duo ever being particularly well-known for their goalscoring exploits.

Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

8: LaLiga goal involvements in 8 games from Rodrygo, equal to his best in any other season

With two assists against Elche, Rodrygo Goes ia already set for his best ever season in a Real Madrid shirt while we’re only in mid-October. His return is now up to eight goal involvements, with four goals and four assists in eight games.

That’s level with 2021/22, where it took Rodrygo 33 games to record four goals and four assists. In 2020/21, he registered more assists, with six, but scored only one LaLiga goal in 22 games, and in 2019/20 he managed just two goals.

The Brazilian has taken up a much more important role this season, with nine of his 13 appearances (69%) to date being starts, compared to 25 out of 49 (51%) in 2021/22. Carlo Ancelotti is rewarding him for his fine form, and it’s now up to the forward to kick on and establish himself by maintaining that run of form into the longer term.