Nervy Madrid holds on against Rayo to go top
Karim Benzema continued his fine form in front of goal as Real Madrid went top of LaLiga with a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday (AEDT).
Toni Kroos put Madrid ahead when he finished off a counter-attack in the 14th minute, the goal awarded after a video assistant referee (VAR) review having initially been ruled offside.
Benzema's 10th league goal of the season, and ninth in 10 against Rayo, made it two seven minutes before half-time, but Madrid sat back after the restart and Radamel Falcao's response ensured a tense finish.
Rayo could not quite forge an equaliser, though, and Madrid moved two points ahead of Real Sociedad at the summit at least until the latter's trip to Osasuna on Monday (AEDT).
Alvaro Garcia had almost given Rayo a shock early lead when he broke clear of the Madrid defence only to send his shot wide, a chance that jolted Carlo Ancelotti's side into life.
Vinicius Junior had the ball in the net, yet the VAR determined Benzema had been offside in the build-up, and the France forward then lifted a shot over the crossbar from a good position before Kroos scored on the break, rifling in from Marco Asensio's cross and this time seeing the technology work in Madrid's favour.
Madrid went into the interval two goals ahead when Benzema got on the end of a superb teasing cross from David Alaba and calmly nudged the ball into the net at the back post.
Ferland Mendy teed up Benzema to curl over just after the hour, but a brief cameo from Falcao, introduced in the 69th minute before departing in the 81st with an apparent groin problem, brought Rayo back into the reckoning as his header from Garcia's cross deflected off Alaba and deceived Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid fans then had their hearts in their mouths at the death when Oscar Valentin saw his shot blocked by Eduardo Camavinga and Kroos crucially cleared his follow-up effort off the line.
