Ascendant Asensio helps keep Real Madrid in La Liga hunt

After failing to score in La Liga for the first time this season in their last outing against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid were in no mood to replicate that feat against Valencia.

Pulling the strings in the middle as usual, Luka Modrić played a sublime pass to free Asensio inside the opening five minutes.

It looked like the perfect opening, but he instead elected to go on his weaker right foot rather than step inside, and saw his effort smartly stopped by Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Asensio continued to be Real’s main threat, but he spurned two more gilt-edged opportunities before the half was out.

As HT loomed, the Santiago Bernabéu was sent into raptures when Antonio Rüdiger headed home.

However, they were left feeling exasperated just moments later when Javier Alberola Rojas consulted the VAR screen and disallowed the goal, after finding a Karim Benzema foul in the build-up, giving Valencia a creditable first-half shutout.

‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ must’ve been the motto of Asensio, who atoned for his myriad of earlier misses in style, firing in a sumptuous effort from the edge of the area to soothe any lingering Real Madrid nerves.

Barely two minutes later, Vinícius Júnior then demonstrated just how merciless the Galacticos can be in countering situations, bursting the best part of 40 yards upfield before sliding home to make it 2-0 and effectively end the game as a contest.

While the result was now seemingly secure, tensions reached boiling point 20 minutes from time, when Gabriel Paulista – perhaps frustrated by the scoreline – thrust Vinícius into the air with a horror challenge that justifiably earned the former Arsenal man a red card.

In the end, Valencia could very easily have caved in and conceded more, but for Real it was all about ensuring that the gap to Barcelona at the summit stayed at five points going into the weekend.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)