Real Madrid eased past Elche at home to kickstart their chase of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Madrid, who just won their fifth Club World Cup title, had seen their arch-rivals soar 12 points past them in their quest for the first league title since the 2018/19 season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side responded in a befitting manner by smashing 4 goals past the league’s bottom-placed side with Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric all on target.
Asensio immediately put his side in complete control, easing past Elche’s defence before beating Edgar Badia in just the 8th minute after Eder Militao had missed his header four minutes earlier.
Benzema doubled his side’s lead in the 31st minute from the penalty spot for a record-setting goal. His 229th league goal sees him scurry past Raul for the second-most goals for Madrid behind only Cristiano Ronaldo’s 311 league goals.
The Frenchman put away his second penalty before halftime after a foul on Rodrygo to signal the end of Elche’s challenge.
With the game already in the bag, Real Madrid was content with seeing out the game but managed to carve Elche open at will. Modric managed to smash their 4th past Badia in the 80th minute to complete the resounding scoreline.
Madrid, with 48 points, still has an 8-point deficit to overcome if they are to catch Barcelona.
