Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Las Palmas in La Liga on Sunday.
See how the action unfolded at the Santiago Bernabeu with our liveblog!
Goals from Casemiro, Marco Asensio and Isco not only ensured Madrid were back in business after successive defeats but also condemned Las Palmas to their seventh straight loss.
Luka Modric paid the price for two disappointing displays against Girona and Tottenham Hotspur as he was replaced by Isco in midfield.
Jesus Vallejo was also called for the first time since appearing in the Copa del Rey against third-tier Fuenlabrada last month, partnering Sergio Ramos in the heart of defence.
Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal, however, were still missing for Los Blancos, despite the pair returning to training.
Las Palmas boss Pako Ayestaran, meanwhile, set a new League record of 11 consecutive defeats across his spells with the islanders and Valencia last week.
His cause at the Santiago Bernabeu was not helped by Aythami Artiles, Tana, Jonathan Viera, Alen Halilovic and Ousmane Tannane all pulling out with injury.
However, the visitors could take solace from drawing with Los Blancos twice last season and scoring five goals against them.
Karim Benzema quickly got in behind and had only Raul Lizoain to beat, but his one-on-one finish was straight at the goalkeeper.
Straight down the other end, the ball dropped to Atletico Madrid loanee Vitolo in Madrid’s box, but his scuffed shot – while beating Kiko Casilla – was hacked off the line by Marcelo.
Cristiano Ronaldo then turned his marker on the edge of Las Palmas’ area and blasted a volley on goal, but it only landed in Lizoain’s side-netting.
The Portuguese remained stuck on the solitary goal in La Liga but appeared more threatening out wide as he cut inside from the right, before curling a powerful effort inches wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.
Asensio picked out Benzema with an inch-perfect cross from the right, but the striker’s header was denied entry into the back of Lizoain’s net by Mauricio Lemos
Nonetheless, a corner found Casemiro unmarked in the box, and the midfielder powered a header across Lizoain to give Madrid a much-needed lead.
It got even better for Los Blancos, when Asensio smashed the ball first time on the half-volley, sending it into the glovesman’s top-left corner for 2-0.
The chances kept coming for Madrid, whose 4-3-3 seemed a more natural fit for their attacking arsenal. Toni Kroos unleashed a swerving drive on target from just outside the box, but Lizoain just about got a hand to it.
Back to Ronaldo, and the No 7 cracked a dipping effort just wide of the shot-stopper’s top right. Yet he soon led a breakaway down the right and drilled a low cross into Las Palmas' box for Isco to slide home.
Sergio Ramos tried to get in on the act with a curling strike, which took a nick off a Las Palmas defender, but Lizoain’s crossbar came to the islanders’ rescue.
Real Madrid 3-0 Las Palmas
Casemiro 41, Asensio 56, Isco 74
Real Madrid: Casilla; Nacho, Vallejo, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos (Ceballos 78), Casemiro (Marcos Llorente 68), Isco; Asensio; Ronaldo, Benzema (Vazquez 75)
Las Palmas: Lizoain; Michel, Ximo, Lemos, Bigas, Dani Castellano; Vicente (Remy 64), Javi Castellano, Aquilani (Hernan 83); Calleri, Vitolo
Referee: Sanchez Martinez
