Real Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Real Madrid are back atop La Liga following Saturday's resounding 5-1 win at home against Rayo Vallecano.
Barcelona had briefly taken the summit after beating Almeria 2-1 in an earlier match, but goals from Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo ensured Los Blancos will come out of the weekend in first place in the Spanish top flight.
Vallecano's only goal came shortly before the break when James Rodriguez played a careless back pass to Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, but overall the guests mustered very little in the way of meaningful goalscoring opportunities.
Several players shone under the lights of the Bernabeu while others wilted.
Following are the individual winners and losers from this encounter.
Winner: Toni Kroos, Who Was the Game's Best Player
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Toni Kroos has settled in nicely at Real Madrid, as he demonstrated once again on Saturday.
Overall, the Germany international moved the ball with precision and got himself into useful spaces, and in the ninth minute his exquisite pass set up Gareth Bale for the opening goal of the match.
The 24-year-old proceeded to find the back of the net himself in the second half, when his blazing shot from distance left Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez with no chance whatsoever.
As ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan posted on his Twitter feed, Kroos was the game's best player.
Loser: Emiliano Insua, Whose Night Ended Early
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Rayo Vallecano responded well to going a goal behind in the early minutes, and a lot of what they produced in the first half came through Emiliano Insua on the left-hand side.
The full-back generally had the running of Nacho and got in behind Gareth Bale with frequency as well.
But in the 23rd minute the 25-year-old pulled up with a leg injury and had to be replaced.
His loss was a blow for the guests, who lacked a linking man to play with Gael Kakuta from that point on.
Winner: Karim Benzema, Who Can't Stop Scoring
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If Karim Benzema has had his detractor's, they've been mighty quiet lately.
Once again on Saturday, the France international found the back of the net for Real Madrid, bringing his total to 11 goals for the season.
Impressively, he has scored in each of his last five matches and has tallied eight times in his last six.
These past few weeks, the 26-year-old has been playing some of the best football of his career and Madrid have been better for it.
Loser: The Match Officials, Who Negatively Impacted the Game
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Mohammed Fatau should have been booked midway through the first half when he quite clearly tackled Cristiano Ronaldo from behind.
But referee Pedro Jesus Perez Montero controversially kept his cards in his pocket, although he booked Fatau for a foul on Luka Modric shortly before the break.
At that point, the 21-year-old should have been off.
Montero's assistants, too, had a bad night and incorrectly judged a potential Leo Baptistao equaliser to be offside shortly after the restart.
Not long after that botched decision, Karim Benzema's goal was awarded despite the Frenchman being well ahead of the last defender.
Add the three mistakes together and you get a match negatively impacted by the officials.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo, Who Had a Hand in Three Goals
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Cristiano Ronaldo began his night by presenting his Golden Shoe to the Bernabeu faithful.
He then proceeded to set up goals by Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema before scoring for the 18th time in La Liga late in the second half.
Ronaldo is in a purple patch that makes other purple patches look pink, and his status as world football's most lethal attacker was underlined once again on Saturday.
Loser: James Rodriguez, Who Caused a Vallecano Goal
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James Rodriguez had just been starting to hit his stride at Real Madrid when he put in a disappointing performance on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano.
Although he was a frequent, if not very effective, contributor to the Madrid attack, his mistake just before the half-time whistle allowed Vallecano a lifeline at a critical juncture in the match.
Completely misplaying a reverse pass intended for goalkeeper Keylor Navas, the Colombia international instead allowed Alberto Bueno to score with a tap-in.
As ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan noted on Twitter, Rodriguez generally disappointed on Saturday and was replaced in the 68th minute by Isco, who came on to a loud ovation.
