6 Talking Points from Real Madrid vs. Sevilla

Real Madrid avenged their early season defeat at Sevilla with a 4-1 thumping of Unai Emery's men at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring with his 50th La Liga strike, and it is unlikely he will have scored many easier or from as close.

It then turned into the Cristiano Ronaldo show at the end of a week, which saw him turn 28 years old.

First, he smashed home from 25 yards on his left foot to make it 2-0, then he capitalized on Sevilla's defensive hesitancy before orchestrating and finishing a fantastic Real Madrid break.

He was then replaced by Alvaro Morata to a standing ovation from the home fans as Madrid sent out the perfect message ahead of the visit of Manchester United on Wednesday.

Here are some talking points from Los Blancos' win...

Sevilla Susceptible to the Counter

Time and time again Sevilla seemed content to leave themselves open to the Real Madrid counter attack.

Teams have experienced most success against Los Blancos this season by trying to prevent that from happening, so it seems inevitable that Unai Emery's men found themselves on the end of a 4-1 loss.

Madrid's fourth goal best epitomized this susceptibility, but it was by no means the only time Sevilla looked vulnerable on the break.

In just seven seconds, Cristiano Ronaldo carried the ball from his own area, passed to Gonzalo Higuain, who returned the ball to Ronaldo to tap home. 

Emery's Honeymoon Period over

Unai Emery replaced Michel as Sevilla manager on January 14 and has made an encouraging start in southern Spain.

The 41-year-old won two of his first three La Liga games—versus Getafe and Rayo Vallecano—and drew the third.

He also saw his side comfortably knock Zaragoza out of the Copa del Rey and only lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderon in the first leg of the semifinal.

At the Bernabeu, though, he was helpless as a much-changed Real Madrid swept passed his side much more efficiently than perhaps expected.

He won't be judged on results against Madrid and Barcelona, but it won't stop him wanting to forget this defeat as soon as possible.

Mourinho Rotates with Manchester United in Mind

Last weekend's defeat to Granada—Madrid's fourth loss in Andalusia this season—further dented any hopes of Los Blancos salvaging anything from a frustrating La Liga season.

With those league aspirations ever shrinking, Jose Mourinho perhaps picked a team with half an eye on Manchester United coming to town on Wednesday.

For various reasons Marcelo, Angel Di Maria, Raphael Varane, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira didn't even feature.

Alonsigside Kaka, Luka Modric and Michael Essien were handed starts, while Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain were both named in the starting 11.

Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced just after the hour while Madridistas will be encouraged by a late cameo for returning defender Pepe.

Cristiano Ronaldo Shines Brightest at Bernabeu

All the headlines were written, once again, by Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepared to face his former club the only way he knows how.

His 20th Real Madrid treble—his 15th in La Liga—was sealed in plenty of time for him to depart, to a background of appreciation from the Bernabeu crowd, just after 60 minutes.

His hat-trick versus Sevilla took him to 24 La Liga goals this season, 182 goals for Real Madrid and was already his third three-goal-haul in the calendar year.

The Portuguese star can also lay claim to an assist for the first goal as he put in the perfect performance ahead of his Manchester United reunion on Wednesday. 

Kaka in from the Cold but Not for Long

An on-off move to Milan never materialized for Kaka, and tonight he was back in Los Blancos, starting 11 for the visit of Sevilla.

It was his first appearance in La Liga since he was sent off against Osasuna in January and his first league start since departing at half-time in Madrid's 2-0 win at home to Celta Vigo in October.

His performance was effective, and he may even be able to claim an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's first half screamer.

There is a "but" though.

As well as he played, it is still evident that the 30-year-old's future will be best served away from Los Blancos eventually.

With players missing for various reasons, Kaka provided a good option for Mourinho to rotate, but whether he can prove to be more than that at the Bernabeu looks uncertain.

Diego Lopez Reunited with Sevilla

Diego Lopez swapped Sevilla for Real Madrid in January following the injury to Los Blancos captain Iker Casillas.

It meant that the 31-year-old stopper returned to the club where he spent seven years in the early stages of his career.

Football fate dictated that it wouldn't be long until he faced his old club—he only spent six months in Andalusia—and tonight's 4-1 win will have been sweet for Lopez.

He was far from unemployed throughout, though, and made a couple of good, if expected, saves to deny former teammates Jose Antonio Reyes—more than once—and Manu Del Moral.