Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from Liga Game
Real Madrid closed the gap at the top of the table in La Liga after a thrilling 4-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday night.
Celta took the lead in a crazy, back-and-forth match through Nolito, before Javier Hernandez and Toni Kroos swung the game in Real's favour. Santi Mina scored a solo goal to equalise, after which a deflected James Rodriguez strike put Real 3-2 up at half-time. Despite intense Celta pressure after the break, Hernandez scored his second to seal the win and bring Real Madrid back to two points behind Barcelona in the title race.
Here are all our winners and losers from a tremendous game at Balaidos.
Winner: Javier Hernandez
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Chicharito did himself plenty of favours by netting the all-important winner in the Champions League quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid, all but ensuring he'll be the go-to man in attack while Karim Benzema is sidelined. And he followed that up with a clinical brace against Celta.
His first goal was pure Hernandez: a quick one-two outside the box, a burst into the area and a fantastic first-time finish. The second again showed his good movement and clinical ability to hit the back of the net, and he got a great reception when subbed late on.
Hernandez might wish he had played more minutes this term, but he is coming up big for Real now when it matters most.
Losers: Anyone Who Was Supposed to Do a Holding/Protecting Midfield Job
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The crazy nature of the match made for tremendous viewing, but it's debatable how pleased the two managers would have been seeing their respective sides concede chance after chance.
Both Celta and Real took turns launching attack after attack, making use of the huge tracts of space between the lines in each half and passing quickly to the forward lines, which went up against each defence with ease and regularity.
The question marks there, despite the entertainment, have to be over the likes of Asier Illarramendi for Real and Augusto Fernandez or Michael Krohn-Dehli for Celta, none of whom really protected their defences particularly well, none of whom were terribly interested in holding their positions and all of whom seemed to just want to race forward and join in the counter-attacks.
It made for a great game, but little tactical discipline.
Winner: Nolito
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Nolito was one of the stars of the early part of this La Liga season, with his trickery on the ball from out wide and penchant for creating scoring chances that led to him getting a call-up for the Spain national team.
He and his team suffered through a bad midseason slump—but they're both back on form now.
Nolito was one of the best on the field against Real, constantly running at his markers, cutting infield and creating chances for himself and others. The first goal of the game was a great example of that, with Nolito's close control and will to commit defenders leading to his near-post strike.
Loser: Dani Carvajal
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Directly opposite Nolito was Dani Carvajal, who had a shocker of a game in a defensive sense.
He never got close to the left-sided forward, missed a number of interceptions and couldn't stop Nolito from driving toward goal whether he went outside or inside. Going forward, Carvajal linked up once or twice but was far from his usual impressive self.
Carvajal compounded his evening with a late booking, meaning he'll be suspended for the Almeria game. He'll return for Sevilla, which some might take a cynical view on.
Winners: Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez
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They might not get their usual headlines after Hernandez's match-winning display, but James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo were superb for Real Madrid.
The first half, in particular, saw the duo link well, combining quickly in the spaces in front of the Celta defence, while Ronaldo was frequently the one who ran beyond the back line to stretch play. His own driving dribble created Kroos' goal, and his movement let Hernandez find space centrally. And it was a very unselfish display again from No. 7.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, continues to show his enormous worth in the final third by hitting double figures in La Liga for both assists and goals.
