Dani Carvajal's Goal Edges Real Madrid Past Alaves in 2-1 La Liga Win

Real Madrid are three points clear at the top of La Liga after beating Alaves 2-1 on Saturday. Sergio Ramos headed in the opener at the Estadio Mendizorroza before giving away a penalty after a foul on Joselu.

Lucas Perez scored from the spot for Alaves, but Dani Carvajal prodded in the winner soon after to help Los Blancos move above bitter rivals Barcelona.  

The Blaugrana can take back top spot with a positive result on Sunday, although the reigning champions face a tricky trip to Atletico Madrid.

Gareth Bale made a rare start and didn't waste time making an impact, seeing his deflected header glance off the post with Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco well beaten.

The visitors went close again on 18 minutes when Carvajal's cross fell to Isco. However, the cultured midfielder directed his effort clean over the bar.

Despite their initial attacking impetus, Real were soon dragged into a scrappy affair. Aggressive challenges and pedestrian passing stymied the flow of play, with Luka Modric going into the book following a late tackle on Ruben Duarte.

When Real did open things up, they found Pacheco in fine form, with the stopper turning away a powerful effort from Casemiro eight minutes before the end of what proved to be a goalless first half.

A more simple route to goal finally yielded Real's breakthrough when Ramos headed in from a Toni Kroos corner seven minutes into the second half.

Goals still come easily to Ramos, even in the winter of the rugged centre-back's career:

Even so, the dichotomy of Ramos has always made him a fascinating player, and the 33-year-old's reckless streak haunted Los Merengues again when he elbowed Joselu on 63 minutes.

A yellow card and a penalty were appropriate punishments, allowing former Arsenal and Deportivo La Coruna striker Perez to convert.

He endured a tough time in England, but Perez has found his smile again since joining Alaves:

Losing the lead prompted Zinedine Zidane to hook Bale for Rodrygo Goes. Yet it was another sometimes-overlooked player who soon helped restore Real's lead.

The telling contribution came from Isco, whose header came back off the post and fell kindly for Carvajal to tap in.

Most of the resulting pressure during the final 21 minutes was applied by the hosts, with Perez and Aleix Vidal both going close. Alphonse Areola also needed to be commanding to claim a few corners in the Real box.

Ultimately, Real stayed solid enough at the back to survive eight minutes of stoppage time and preserve a result good enough to take them top. The performance didn't match the result, but not for the first time during Zidane's two tenures, Los Blancos somehow found a way to win.

It's a trait useful enough to possibly earn another title.

What's Next?

Real host Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on Saturday, while Alaves will be in Granada on the same day.