"What a statement win", "Ancelotti is cooking" - Fans on X react as Real Madrid cruise to a 4-1 win over Villarreal
Real Madrid fans have reacted to Los Blancos comfortably dispatching Villarreal 4-1 in their La Liga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, December 17.
Carlo Ancelotti and Co. got off to a fast start and were unfortunate not to take the lead within the first 15 minutes, with Filip Jorgensen denying both Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz.
Toni Kroos struck the crossbar in the 23rd minute but Jude Bellingham gave Los Blancos the lead two minutes later with a good header following a Luke Modric cross. Unfortunately, David Alaba was forced off with an ACL injury in the 35th minute with Nacho coming on to replace him.
Luke Modric's corner a minute later was met by Antonio Rudiger who headed the ball downwards. Lucas Vasquez regained possession, prodding the ball into the path of Rodrygo. The Brazilian made no mistake, finding the bottom-left corner.
Despite the goal initially being ruled off for offside, VAR reversed the on-field decision, making it 2-0 going into halftime.
Jose Luis Morales halved the deficit for Villarreal against the run of play in the 54th minute with a decent finish. However, Real Madrid restored their two-goal advantage through Brahim Diaz' smooth finish into the bottom-right corner 10 minutes later.
Rodrygo took advantage of Villarreal's sloppiness, making a good run and finding Modric. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner slotted home in the 68th minute to seal a dominant 4-1 win for Real Madrid.
Los Blancos are now at the top of the La Liga standings with 42 points from 17 games, one point above second-placed Girona, with a game in hand.
One fan posted:
"You really said enough is enough. What a statement win."
Another fan wrote:
"Ancelotti is cooking."
Real Madrid vs Villarreal: Who was the Player of the Match?
Real Madrid displayed great teamwork and resilience to defeat Villarreal 4-1 in their La Liga clash on Sunday. Let's take a look at who the Player of the Match was.
As per FotMob, Luka Modric was given the highest rating of any player on the pitch (9.0). The Croatian rolled back the years with a stellar performance, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
The 38-year-old completed 65 out of his 70 passes with an accuracy of 93%. He also created five big chances, completed seven of his nine long balls with an accuracy of 78%, made five recoveries, and won two duels.