An 81st-minute goal from the edge of the box by Luka Modrić helped Real Madrid secure a vital victory and the 3 points against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This win puts the Merengues in a comfortable position at the top of the table following a 1-1 draw last week. They now have an 8-point lead over 2nd-placed FC Barcelona, who have 57 points.
It was a fairly decent display from Los Blancos in the 1st half. A goal by Lucas Vazquez in the 13th minute was ruled out after an intervention from VAR, which found a foul during the buildup to the goal.
Andriy Lunin did not have a quiet night at all because the Ukrainian was made to work as Sevilla were on the counter attack often in the 1st half. But he ended up putting in another impressive performance, helping himself to yet another clean sheet.
Sevilla’s man between the sticks, Orjan Nyland could also have had a clean sheet to his name but Luka Modrić had other ideas.
The Croatian has had a more sporadic role this season and came on in the 75th minute for a quick burst of energy towards the end of the game.
The midfield maestro surely changed the tempo of the game and ended up scoring the only goal of the night, after a stunning long-range effort, 6 minutes after coming on.
Modrić faced some unwarranted criticism after the game against Rayo Vallecano but the midfield great showed that the criticism does not faze him by putting in such a performance against Sevilla.
Other than that, Vinícius and Valverde were close to scoring as well with the Brazilian in particular being a threat on the left. Valverde’s shot ricocheted off the post in the 2nd half too.
Despite Jude’s injury, Real Madrid found a way to win. The Merengues are slowly entering the territory where they might just win the league with games to spare, considering they have a point difference of 8, 9, and 13 points with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place sides respectively.
The European giants next up face Valencia away from home before coming up against RB Leipzig in the all-important Champions League 2nd leg.
