Immediate Reaction: Real Madrid 3-1 Sevilla

Real Madrid 3-1 Sevilla (Modrić, Vázquez & Valverde). Here is the immediate reaction to the victory. Still to come: press conference details, player ratings and the ManagingMadrid podcast.

Sevilla always provide a tough challenge, and after a convincing Clásico over Barcelona in the last game - Real Madrid needed a win here to really cement their place at the top of the table. Aurélien Tchouaméni came into the midfield as the only real change for Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Thibaut Courtois was back in action after a spell on the side-lines injured. Eden Hazard would be amongst the substitutes. Luka Modrić captained the team, after handing Karim Benzema his Ballon D’Or trophy before the game alongside Zinedine Zidane. The world’s best would miss this one through injury.

The game could not have started any better for Madrid when stand-in captain Luka Modrić put the hosts ahead after the five minute mark. Vinícius Júnior was the instigator as he found the Croatian to score a simple finish. The match from this point onwards was pretty tight, with both teams looking to attack whenever they had the chance to do so. David Alaba almost scored another trademark free-kick but the ball flew wide. Modrić could have had a double after a superb run but his shot could not beat an alert defender. Sevilla had their moments, but their best chance came through Ivan Rakitić came who forced Thibaut Courtois into a brilliant save. Madrid led 1-0 at half time.

If the first half started well, the second half could well have gone the opposite way as Sevilla were level within ten minutes. Madrid had some good play, but Erik Lamela found the bottom corner at the other end to make it game on. Play became cagey after this and chances began to dry up - until Vinícius Júnior shot just wide of the target. Plenty of changes were introduced to freshen things up for both sides, with Lucas Vázquez and Marco Asensio coming on amongst others. It would be those two that would help change the game - as Real Madrid looked lethal on a counter attack. The ball ended up with Asensio after some quick passing, and the Spaniard played a slicing ball through to Vinícius Júnior who laid it off for Lucas Vázquez to score the open goal. Fede Valverde then put the game to bed when he took a touch and unleashed a strike past the keeper from outside of the box whilst some fans were still celebrating the second goal. The man in form cannot stop scoring. In the end, thanks to the late surge - Madrid managed a 3-1 win. What were your thoughts on the game?